Night Out with Lewis: Blurring the Boundaries of the Past

The night was young, the sun had yet to fall. I left the house filled with a solemn reverence for my people's traditions. I was determined to return with a clean soul after being away from the village by myself. The journey from the shoreline to the village took days and weeks of hard work, but it was worth it.

I could feel Lewis's gaze on my back as I departed from his ship. He had no understanding of our customs and traditions, and how important it was for me to return home in solemnity. I hoped he would respect my wishes and leave me alone, but somehow I knew he wouldn't. He always wanted something more than what he already has.

As soon as I stepped foot into the village, someone congratulated me on returning and asked if I had eaten or slept at all during my time away. Of course they'd known where I had gone and what I had done while they were away working in Porto Bello, but they also knew that my time with Lewis was spent in solitude, so they didn't ask many questions about what happened while there. Truth be told we had never heard of this place before through any of the ships, but some members of the tribe returned with news of what they found there, and word spread quickly that it was a place where we could find food and other necessities that were sometimes difficult to get our hands on in our native land. We were far away from the coast here, so water was always scarce and there wasn't much food to go around either; so when news spread of a bountiful place filled with gold and jewels we all jumped at the chance to go explore it. Our first trip there went well, but because it was such an arduous trek we only went out every month or two to replenish our supplies until eventually most of us just stayed there instead of coming back at all.

When I arrived at my home near the center of the village I smiled warmly at those who greeted me and thanked them for their support throughout my absence. My family's hut sat on a small hill surrounded by many others just like it; some close by others further away depending on how many lived inside them. Some families were bigger than others you see... And because it was such a large family mine was too. There were over twenty people living under one roof; everyone doing their part to help keep us fed, clothed and alive throughout these times.

One member of my family stood outside as I approached, watching me carefully as I walked up to him; which is why he noticed that something about me wasn't right right away. There was something heavy in my eyes that told him not just that something was wrong but that everything was wrong... That everything in my world had fallen apart while I was away - and they did fall apart too... Only not in ways that would've been obvious to anyone else looking at me right now; except for him of course.

"You look upset Tami," he said casually as if he hadn't seen me in years instead of months when we last spoke face-to-face - though his eyes told me otherwise: They told me that he knew exactly why I looked like this despite his efforts to act normal around me now; "Did something happen?"