After Aunt Greta's departure, I turned around to find my mother and Reena standing in front of me, accompanied by Grandma Celia, Fiona, and Ayla. Bringing up the rear was Grandma Ingrid, who appeared visibly uneasy. Refocusing my attention on my mother, I noticed her fierce gaze fixed upon me as she spoke up, "Before we go, aren't you going to address this and tell us who among us got pregnant first?" Her arms were crossed, and she impatiently tapped her finger on her elbow, awaiting my response.
Realizing that avoiding the question was futile, and in truth, I had no intention of evading it in the first place, I cleared my throat feignedly. I began by pointing at Grandma Celia, emphasizing, "She should take the honour of being the first." Before my mother could object, her lips tightly sealed, I swiftly continued, directing my hand towards Reena, "The second spot belongs to her." Then, focusing on my mother, I stated firmly, "You secure the third position." My hand shifted to point at Fiona, signifying her as the fourth.
With a subtle gesture, I designated Ayla as the fifth. Finally, my hand settled on Grandma Ingrid, and I concluded, "And lastly, she claims the sixth spot, if you will."
"So you mean..." My mother began to speak, but I swiftly interrupted her, raising my hand to halt her. "I am not done yet," I stated, already anticipating her question. "You, Mom, were my first partner," I revealed, observing her reaction. I watched as her expression shift from fury to calm, although a fleeting glimpse of happiness couldn't be concealed. However, after a while, her face twisted back into anger, a feeble attempt to mask her sudden joy.
"Reena is my third partner," I continued, glancing at my sister. She nodded with a sweet smile, but her expression froze abruptly. Sensing her unvoiced thoughts, I swiftly added, "And Ayla is my sixth partner," preempting any interruption from Reena. As I finished speaking, I witnessed her gaze dart around the room, only to refocus intently on me. "So if Mom is your first partner, and I am your third," she gestured towards Ayla, "and she is the sixth," Reena paused for a moment, collecting her thoughts. "That means, brother, there are still three women who are your partners that we don't know about, aren't there?".
Even though I remained seated, I noticed Fiona's and everyone else's widened eyes at the weight of Reena's words. Her voice carried enough volume to capture everyone's attention, and the revelation hung in the air, provoking undeniable suspense in the room.
Shaking my head tiredly at her unexpected reaction, I was at a loss for words. This wasn't how I had planned to introduce everyone in the first place. I searched for something to divert the conversation, but before I could find a suitable topic, my mother burst into a chuckle out of nowhere.
Her giggle grew louder, filling the room until it turned into a full-blown, infectious laughter. Eventually, her laughter subsided, and she bent down to look at me with eyes filled with a strange mix of love and warmth.
Pinching my cheeks tightly, she said, "Who would have thought that my son would have the courage to propose to six women in such a short amount of time?" Then, she hugged me tightly, causing the side of her tulga to rise and reveal one of her bountiful breasts momentarily as she straightened her back. With an oddly sweet smile, she continued, "Besides, it seems like you're determined to break every record in this village. So, as your mother and possibly your first partner, I want you to bring all those girls to where we'll be staying on the farm. We should meet them and get to know each other, okay?"
Her wide smile radiated an air of acceptance as Reena attempted to voice her concerns "But...". However, our mother swiftly interrupted, cutting her off mid-sentence. "But nothing," she stated firmly. "Right now, we're all going to be busy, especially your brother. Now that he's finally given us the information we needed, it's best to let him rest and gather his thoughts. Besides, didn't you hear that he still needs to meet with the village chief after this?".
Letting out a tired sigh, she shook her head. "If I'm not mistaken, the sun will be setting soon, and we've been here all day. So, let's settle everything for now, and then we can have a family conversation later. All of us," she added, glancing at everyone present, some of whom hadn't even noticed her gaze.
In response, my sister halted her attempts to argue and reluctantly nodded in understanding. She bit her lip and averted her gaze, stealing a glance in my direction. Knowing that her behaviour was only temporary, I observed as my mother raised her voice, capturing everyone's attention.
"Alright, now that we all know what we need to do, let's gather our belongings and return to the village chief's compound before the sun sets," my mother announced loudly. "Once we're at the farm, we can figure out our next steps after we've settled in." Unsurprisingly, everyone agreed. Fiona was the first to speak up, abruptly stating, "I'll meet all of you there in an hour," before her gaze fixated on me, her eyes entering a trance-like state.
However, she quickly shook her head, turned around, and left the room. Following suit, my sister behaved as though I didn't exist, casting her gaze elsewhere before exiting the room.
"Let's go, Celia," my mother called out to Grandma Celia, her voice filled with urgency. Then, she turned her gaze toward Grandma Vivian and Derry, who were still seated. Suppressing the words she wanted to say, my mother directed her attention to Grandma Ingrid, who had remained silent throughout the conversation.
With a hint of aggression in her tone, not stemming from anger but rather a disappointment, she said, "You too, Ingrid." As both Grandma Celia and Ingrid nodded in response and quietly left the room, I swiftly stood up from my seat and reached out to catch my mother's hand, stopping her in her tracks before she could leave.
"Please control yourself," I whispered to her in a low tone, hoping to calm her down. "Let's not make her feel down at the moment."
