In His Nature

Alia cleaned up after Butu's meal and went back to her work. He noticed that she had not gone to the bedroom and hidden as most women did after sex. He realized that they hid because they were hurt. Alia would be more useful if she could go back to work sooner.

"Alia, come here."

"Yes, Butu."

She stood before him. "Woman, you must stay inside for some time after we mate. If you go back to work in the garden others with think I did not mate with you. All the other women hide in pain after mating. You must act like I hurt you. Understand?"

"Yes! I can work as long as I am not seen. Others must think you are just like them."

"Yes. What you have told me is a good thing, but must not be spoken of. Have you told your daughter?"

"She knows."

"Get her. I must make her understand that she cannot tell anyone what she knows."

"Butu, all women know."

"No! It cannot be! If all women know why do they stay silent?"

"Because not all men are as intelligent as you, Butu. Not all men listen to women."

"It cannot be true that all women know. It cannot." He stood and walked out of his house. Alia found Kalli and told her of the conversation she had with Butu. Kalli said she did not think all women knew. They never talked about it.

"Did I tell you or did your body tell you?"

Kalli sat and thought for a while, then said, "My body told me." She stood, walked outside and back into the garden.

That evening, just after it got dark outside Butu returned. He asked Alia if she had talked with Kalli. Alia nodded and Butu called to Kalli. When she arrived Butu thrust his hand under the hem of her skirt and felt her opening. She was wet. Butu looked at his fingers for a long time after he pulled them from Kalli.

"On my bed girl." He commanded.

She went to his bed and put herself in the traditional receptive pose for him. Without speaking or otherwise touching her Butu stood next to the bed and mounted her. His face told the story. For the second time he was mating without pain, either his or the woman's. Faster and faster his hips thrust his stick inside the young woman. When his body stiffened and his seed shot into her he bellowed and the neighbors heard him.

The woman living next door thought about how God blessed her by not having her live with Butu, who would mate a woman twice in a day. She wondered if Alia would walk strangely the next day.

Over the next three days Butu mated his wife and daughter each day. He forced himself to be quiet when Alia pointed out that she could not work in the garden if she had mated the old way each day. He was able to be quiet and he smiled more often. On the fourth day Butu and the other men went to work again. They walked three miles to catch the bus to the mine where they worked for a week or more before coming home again. Butu took his son with him. As he was leaving he said to Alia, "When we return I will send Jacob running home to tell you we are coming. Make it a slippery return for me, please."

Alia stood at the door and watched Butu and Jacob walk away. He had said please for the first time in her memory. When her husband and son were out of sight, she went back to work. Nowhere in her memory did she have memories of being Mike or the alpha male lion. She did not remember that Kalli had once been a lioness in her pride and had borne her three cubs.