“Only one man has lips like yours. Only one man has a speck of blue in one of his light brown eyes. Yes, I noticed that just a minute ago, but you had me fooled for a while. How would I have explained enjoying your brother’s exotic caresses so much? Surely, you saw how my body responded to his; how I relaxed and let him do pretty much anything he wanted to me, and in front of this crowd. I couldn’t have delivered a believable explanation to you, but thankfully I no longer have to.”
“When did you really find out it was me?”
“When I relaxed and went with the flow. Darrius, only one man has a touch like yours. You can seduce me anywhere, any time, day or night.”
“And I plan to, my love. Every chance I get.”
The crowd began to clap and cheer, trying their best to bring Darrius and Justine out of their reverie. It didn’t work. Darrius continued to hold her close, almost whispering. “I didn’t embarrass you too much in the beginning, did I?”
“Sure you did, and I was scared. All I could think of was that poor woman who died during your dance. Did you think of her, too?”
“Only for a few minutes, but when I took you into my arms, nothing else mattered but doing this the right way, and with the right woman.”
“Am I the right woman, Darrius?”
“You know better than to ask me that.”
A smile crept across her paint-smeared face. “What an idiot you are to fool me like this, Darrius. But the worst part was that I kissed your brother thinking he was you.”
“So long as he didn’t like it.”
“He did.”
“Figures. He’s always been a sly fox. Come, let’s join everyone before the natives get even more restless. Oh, but one thing first! I have to complete my mission or I will never be considered a true Koshari dancer.”
“What would that be?” she asked.
He picked up a large bucket of water. “This, but I’ll be glad to dry you off when we get home.”
“Darrius, you better not dare.” She tried to run but he caught her by the shirttail and dowsed her. For good measure, he tossed bits of melon at her. “Now you’re a real victim of the Koshari.”
Darrius returned her to the sideline, back to his brother/partner in crime, and then ran after the squirrel kachina to complete the ceremony.
16
FAMILY TIES
Relief mixed with anger, Justine playfully punched Derrick in the stomach. “You and that damn Darrius planned the whole thing, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, and it worked. You should have seen your face when he pulled you into the arena.”
“Didn’t I look like a perfect version of a ripe tomato, ready to burst?”
“You did, but try not to hate me too much. Darrius told me the story of your not wanting to get too close to the dancers, despite being a fantastic photographer. What’s the deal with that?”
She straightened the front of her now wet Koshari shirt and brushed strands of hair from her face. “The Famine dancer scared me the other day, and with Darrius pulling me into the arena, it made me think about him. Besides, when photographing landscapes, you don’t have to fear being made a fool of.”
“But you snap more than landscapes.”
“True, but until coming here I had no fear of being pulled into the action. I was always left alone to do my thing.”
One look at Derrick told her that he only half believed her do-my-thing story.
“What else are you scared of?”
“How do you know I’m scared of anything else?”
“Just a guess. Crowds can be hard if you’re not used to them.”
“The crowds are fine. Naturally, they would be since I also take pictures of things other than landscapes. That can be scary at times, too. I don’t let that stop me, though. I can’t.”
“Whatever the case, I think you may have helped Darrius get over his reluctance to dance.”
“I sure hope so. He’s so good at it.”
“I take it he told you the story of the girl who died at the powwow.”
“Yeah. How sad.”
“Because of that, he’d never considered dancing again, though he loves it so much. He’s the most graceful and poetic dancer I’ve ever seen. I think he should do more kachina dances.”
She looked at Derrick skeptically. “What about not exploiting sacred dances for outsiders?”
“True. He thinks dances should be educational as well as enjoyable. Powwows can be educational for those ready to learn about another culture. That’s why he comes to them. Now he may be dancing in more of them, thanks to you.”
“I’m glad.”
“Some dances are kept from outsiders and will never be seen at open powwows. They were originally done in kivas, an underground gathering place back in the old times. So, yes, there are dances none of us will do in public. But he was using that excuse mostly to hide behind his self-doubt.”
