Breaking New Grounds

by Amy DeMeritt

  When we come out of the woods, pretty much everyone is standing up staring at the woods waiting for us. Joey comes running over to us and as he’s about to touch the tee shirt bag, Talia bars him.

  “Hey!”

  “It’s a rattlesnake. It’s venomous. You can’t touch it.”

  Maya asks, “Wow, really? Is it still alive? You found that in the woods? Did your wolf kill it?”

  Sara grips Talia and I by the back of the necks with a proud smile, saying, “Still alive and my baby sisters and I got it sacked. Jo was kind enough to lend us her shirt.”

  Tahoma walks forward and carefully takes the stick from me, saying, “Kent and I will take care of this. Do you want to kill and skin it for the barbeque?”

  “Oh, uh, we were going to call animal control so they can release it somewhere else.”

  “They won’t release a venomous snake back into nature. They will kill it. It’s unfortunate it roamed into your woods and Aura came across it. But the choice here is the incinerator, or honor the snake by eating it and using its skin to make something to commemorate your adventure together.”

  I look between Sara, Talia, and Jo, and all of us share a smile and nod once before looking back at Tahoma. “Ok, you can handle it. You think you can take the skin back to the reservation to have something made for us?”

  “Of course. Joey, you want to help us?”

  “Yeah!”

  “Ok, we’ll get it all cleaned up and toss it on the grill.” Tahoma holds the snake up a bit as he asks the entire lawn, “Who’s up for trying some rattlesnake?”

  Our guests have been drinking for a couple hours now, so many of them are bit more jovial than before and bellow out excited answers of wanting to taste the snake meat. I laugh a little as Joey skips off after Tahoma.

  Our dad gives the three of us a tight hug and kiss on the cheek. “Good job, kids.”

  My face is ripped to the side and Awenasa presses her lips against mine. My eyes close and I surrender to the incredible kiss. The kiss lasts for a couple of minutes, and when I’m released, it takes me a few moments to open my eyes. As I do, my eyes lock with Awenasa’s smiling bright green eyes.

  “Good job, puppy.”

  I smile really big and kiss her lips. “Thanks, babe.”

  “I don’t think you’ve ever run so quickly before.”

  “No, she hasn’t.” Sara wraps an arm around my shoulders and squeezes my bicep with a proud smile. “I couldn’t even catch up to you. You did good, baby sister. Now, go get a shirt on.”

  “Oh, right. Ok, I’ll be back.”

  Awenasa takes my hand, entwining her fingers with mine, and we walk to the house with our wives and babies. When we get to our bedroom, I go to the bathroom to wash my hands and my leg from where the snake was whacking me with its tail, smudging my skin with dirt. As I come out of the bathroom, Shannon hands me a fresh tank top to put on.

  “Thanks, babe.”

  “What happened out there? How did you catch the snake and how big was it?”

  “Huge, probably at least four feet long.”

  Their eyes widen. I pull the shirt on and tell them how we worked together to catch the snake.

  “It’s very curious.” We look at Awenasa and she gives us a smile as she walks to the bedroom window. She parts the curtain and blinds to look out over the backyard for a moment. “Snakes symbolize transition, healing, creativity, and are a call to remain grounded.” She looks back at us with a patient smile and a faraway look in her eyes. “Encountering a snake, especially a venomous one, can be a frightening experience because they are very misunderstood. Did the snake coil itself?”

  “Yeah, it was stretched out when we first got there, then it slowly coiled up into a bunch of layered rings.”

  With a thoughtfulness in her tone, Awenasa, says, “It’s a typical behavior, especially when it’s in defensive mode,” then sits on the chaise lounge chair with Malana on her lap. “If you think about this past year, the snake pretty much sums up what we’ve been through and what is yet to come. Last year, Shane took a child from us. This year, we were led to Janell and adopted Eerin, which, in a sense, brought us full circle in our healing process. We have been in a nearly constant state of transition with the many new endeavors we’ve taken on as a family, and even for our friends. Our creativity with our talents and managing our time has definitely been heavily utilized this year. And I believe a reminder to stay grounded is exactly what we need before we face the next few months. More will be demanded of all of us than ever before with our schedules. It’s going to be very taxing on our minds and bodies. It is curious though that Jo also ran into the woods.”

  She smiles as she caresses Malana’s hair and tickles her thighs before looking up at us, all of us patiently waiting to see if she’s going to continue.

  “Like the snake, Jo is misunderstood and guarded. She presented herself to Kayla aggressively from the onset and even attacked her a few times when she felt threated. Completely misunderstanding Kayla’s intentions, of course. Taking wisdom from the snake, I believe it would be wise to foster a friendship with her. Perhaps there is good to be gained on all sides from her coming into our lives.”

  Symone is first to speak as she says with a low voice laced with reverence, “I love when you do that – find the meaning and opportunities for growth in everything.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Awenasa sits down next to me on the couch and lays her head on my lap. She reaches up and caresses my cheek then takes Montana’s foot to nibble her toes, making her laugh and squirm. Awenasa smiles and takes Montana from me to set on her chest. I run my fingers through my wife’s hair and bend down to kiss her lips.

  “The vets will be here soon to start working.”

  “Symone’s family is also going to be here soon. She just got off of the phone with her mom.”

  “Hey.”

  Sorina plops down on my other side and lays down with Awenasa, resting her head next to my wife’s head on my lap. She reaches back and tickles Montana’s tummy, making our baby girl release an adorable little giggle. Awenasa and Sorina tilt their heads to look at each other at the same, and Sorina’s face spreads into a wide smile.

  Sorina says, “Good morning”, and gives Awenasa a peck on the lips.

  “Good morning. Did you eat yet?”

  “I did. I had some cornbread and leftover roast from the feast yesterday. Are you recording music today? I was hoping to be able to watch.”

  “I don’t think we’ll get to record anything just yet. We need to rehearse a bit first. We probably won’t record anything till tomorrow at the earliest. You’re more than welcome to watch us rehearse though. Giz and Jerry will probably be here around twelve. They were here late and said they were going to sleep in today.”

  Sam and Symone walk in with Eerin and hold her out to me. As soon as I take Eerin from Symone, Sam is yanking on her hand to pull her out of the room.

  “Where are you going?”

  “Uh, Sam needs something.”

  I smile and nod. “Ok.”

  Sam’s sex-drive this week has been very heightened from her pregnancy hormones. We had family sex this morning before getting out of bed because she woke up in the mood and instigated a bout of wild family time. Twice during the big party yesterday, she had to drag at least one of us off into the house to have sex because her need was too strong to resist. Shannon and Awenasa were the same way at various points in their pregnancy. Their heightened carnal need is very sexy.

  Sorina takes Eerin from me and lays her down on her chest. She gives Eerin kisses on her soft thick curly hair while she rubs her back. Having both of them laying on my lap with our babies on their chests is a very beautiful picture. Awenasa tilts her head to look at me smiling.

  “Hey, beautiful.”

  “Hi, puppy.”

  “Hey, trade us. We need to give them baths.”

  Shannon and Jaime walk in with Malana and Helaku dressed and smelling ama
zing. They set the babies on Awenasa’s and Sorina’s stomachs, then take Eerin and Montana from them.

  “Mom!”

  Helaku leaps forward and belly flops onto Awenasa’s chest. She smiles and scoots him up higher to kiss him.

  “You smell very nice, Helaku. Did you have fun in your bath?”

  He releases a long trail of garbled gurgling giggles, like he’s telling her all about his bath. His excited talking gets Malana going and both of them start talking none stop. We laugh and kiss on them, but we mostly just listen. I love that they try to talk so much, even if we can’t understand ninety-nine percent of what they’re saying.

  “You are too cute.” Sorina gives Malana several kisses on her face, and Malana giggles and smooshes Sorina’s cheeks together. “Your babies make my uterus ache. I want a baby just like you. Yes, I do.”

  Awenasa smiles and tilts her head to look at Sorina. “Thank you. Are you talking to anyone?”

  “No, not really. A couple of guys and a woman on your reservation tried to flirt with me, but I wasn’t clicking with them. There’s a girl back home I’ve been messing with on and off for years, but we’ve never been very serious. She has a seven-year-old son and wants him to have a father, not two mommies. His dad skipped town after getting her pregnant in high school. I actually thought I was going to end up with this guy I dated for three years. He’s a good guy, comes from a good family that does a lot for the tribe, and he actually wanted lots of kids like me. But he fell head over heels for this woman that came to help with the pipeline protests. He was so torn up over it because he didn’t mean to fall in love with her, but you can’t help what the heart wants. Anyway, they got married and have two kids. They’re good together. I’m happy for him.”

  “I can’t believe someone could walk away from you.”

  Sorina looks up at me with a small sad smile and puckers her lips. I give her a soft kiss on her lips, and she takes a deep steadying breath as she looks up at the high vault ceiling and skylights.

  “It was hard losing him, but I really don’t hold any grudges against him or the woman. I know it probably sounds weird, but I’m actually not anxious to find someone. I’m really happy in my life right now. I would love to have children, and I want to have children with a partner, but… I don’t know how to explain what I’m feeling.”

  “May I try to help you say it?” Sorina smiles at Awenasa and nods. Awenasa gives her a kiss on her lips, and says, “I feel a strong sense of calm and contentment from you. You don’t seem to be searching for anything. I feel your desire for children is much stronger than your desire for romantic love. However, you’re bursting with love. I can feel your love for us, for Hayley, your people, your loved ones. Romantic love is something you’d like to have, but it’s not a necessity. You feel safe and happy and at balance with your place in the world. You’re not fighting against your circumstances or yearning for more of anything. Yes, you want children, but you seem content to allow it to happen in its own time.”

  “Damn, that’s pretty spot on.”

  The sound for the gate call chimes, so Awenasa and Sorina sit up. As I’m standing, Madison walks in, and says, “Symone’s family is pulling through the gate. Kayla, can you go let Symone know?”

  “Yeah, sure.”

  While they go outside to greet Symone’s family, I jog upstairs to let our wives know. I pop my head in the nursery, where Shannon and Jaime are sitting on the floor dressing Eerin and Montana for the day.

  “Hey, babes, Symone’s family is here.”

  “Ok, thanks.”

  As I open our bedroom door, Sam releases a loud scream, causing my insides to contract in arousal. Sam is straddling Symone’s face and holding onto the headboard, wildly thrusting her groin down against Symone’s face.

  “Fuck, yes! Symone, please, now! Yes!”

  Symone slaps Sam’s ass hard and squeezes her small cheeks, pulling her in harder against her face. Symone is completely naked and her body is twisting and rising in need for release. I walk to the foot of the bed and part her thighs, causing Symone to gasp in surprise.

  “Who…? Oh, fuck, yes. Kayla, oh god.”

  Symone and Sam fill the air with moaning screams and their bodies thrash around wildly. God, they’re beautiful. Sam cums and falls to the side, sitting up against the headboard trying to recover. Symone grips the back of my head and starts humping my face while I lick and suck her lips and clit and thrust my fingers inside her. As she climaxes, she falls limp gasping for air.

  “God, I love you being pregnant.”

  Sam giggles and bends down to kiss Symone. They share a short kiss, then Symone pulls Sam down to snuggle with her.

  “Your family is here.”

  Symone groans and pulls Sam over to lay on top of her, whining, “But I’m busy.”

  “I’ll tell them that.”

  Sam sits up to stretch, saying, “No, we’ll get dressed. We’ll be down in a few minutes.”

  “Thanks for feasting on me, baby.”

  Symone puckers her lips at me, so I bend down and give her a kiss. “You’re welcome.”

  After I wash my hands and face, I skip downstairs to the living room, where the rest of my wives and Sorina are sitting around with Symone’s family. The kids are sitting on the floor, kind of bouncing and look very impatient.

  “Kayla!” Morgan, one of Symone’s nieces jumps up and throws her arms around me. “Where is Aunty Symone?”

  “She’ll be down in a few minutes. What adventures are you getting into today?”

  “Aunty Symone said we can go to the arcade and make our own cupcakes. Are you coming with us?”

  “I can’t today. I need to be here for the contractors and I have to study my lines for my next movie. Will you make me a cupcake though?”

  “What kind do you like?”

  “All of them.”

  “Can I make you one too?”

  “Why do you get to make it? I want to.”

  I laugh hard and wave my hands to try to get the kids to stop arguing over who is going to make me a cupcake.

  “How about you guys make enough cupcakes for all of us? We really like cupcakes.”

  “We know.”

  Rachel flashes me a meaningful smile and raises her eyebrows, making all of us laugh. The kids even laugh, but hopefully they don’t know her real meaning.

  Justin, Rachel’s husband sits forward with a childlike grin, and asks, “Do we get to take a peek at the script?”

  “Nope. I would be in big trouble.”

  “Oh, no fun.”

  “How much money do you have?”

  “Tony!”

  Denise looks horrified that her son asked me that. He’s only seven, so it doesn’t bother me. I smile and pull my left front pocket out.

  “Well, none in this one.” I pull my wallet out of my right front pocket and pull out all of the cash I have in it. “This should be enough for you to play with at the arcade.”

  “I can have this?” His eyes and mouth are open wide as he fans out the bills in his hand.

  “Yes, but you have to share it with your sister and cousins.”

  “But…”

  “Tony, give it here so I can split it.” He grumbles as he walks across the room to Denise, but he gives his mom the three hundred dollars. “Tell Kayla thank you.”

  The kids take turns giving me hugs and saying thank you, then Denise hands out the money to them.

  “What if this isn’t enough? How much does the arcade and cupcakes cost?” Tony asks the questions while looking at the money in his hands.

  “Symone will cover you.”

  “What am I going to cover?”

  “Aunty Symone!” Morgan pushes me out of the way so she can throw her arms around Symone.

  “You’re going to treat for the arcade and cupcakes if they spend all of my cash.”

  “Which one tricked you out of your cash? Was it this one?” Symone bends down and tickles Morgan, making her laugh hard and bu
ry her face in Symone’s stomach.

  “It was Tony, not me, Aunty Symone!”

  Symone stops tickling Morgan and squeezes her close for a moment.

  “The arcade doesn’t open for another hour. Do you want to hang out here or go find something else to do?”

  “Kayla, can you get the gate? I hear it going off.”

  “Yeah, sure.”

  I hit the button for the front gate and meet the contractors in the turnabout.

  “Good morning! Are we ready to roll today?”

  “Hey, Rod. Yeah, we’re ready for you today. My dad should be here soon. Hey, you’ll be able to curtain off the house to keep the drywall dust from getting around the house, right?”

  “Absolutely. We’ll also be using vacuums to catch the dust. We’ll keep it very clean. I promise.”

  “Ok, let me make sure we have everything we need from upstairs. Feel free to come in the house when you’re ready.”

  I jog inside and almost collide with Jaime carrying a basket of stuff from the nursery.

  “Sorry, baby. I was coming to see if we needed to get anything from upstairs. They’re going to curtain the upstairs off while they work.”

  “This is all we need for the babies and I locked all of the rooms. If you need anything, you should grab it. Do you have your script down here?”

  “It’s in the office.”

  “Then I think we’re ready.”

  “Ok, thanks.”

  I kiss her lips and start to take the basket but stop as I hear my name being called from outside. I open the door and laugh. Aura is standing in front of the door blocking the contractors from getting inside.

  “Sorry, Rod. Aura, get in here, girl. They’re allowed in.”