The Plains of Passage - Jean M. Auel [417]
“She made a little joke.”
“A joke?” he said. He didn’t think they were capable of making jokes.
“What she said, more or less, is that even though you are an ugly man, when you came to her rescue, she could have kissed you,” Ayla said, then explained to Yorga.
The woman looked embarrassed, but glanced toward Jondalar, then looked again at Ayla. “I am grateful to your tall man. Perhaps, if the child I carry is a boy, and if Guban will allow me to suggest a name, I will say to him, Dyondar is not such a bad name.”
“That wasn’t a joke, was it, Ayla?” Jondalar said, surprised at the sudden rush of feeling.
“No, I don’t think that was a joke, but she can only suggest, and it could be a difficult name for a boy of the Clan to grow up with because it’s unusual. Guban might be willing, though. He’s exceptionally open to new ideas, for a man of the Clan. Yorga told me about their mating, and I think they fell in love, which is quite rare. Most matings are planned and arranged.”
“What makes you think they fell in love?” Jondalar asked. He was interested in hearing a Clan love story.
“Yorga is Guban’s second woman. Her clan lives quite far from here, but he went there to bring word of a large Clan Gathering, and plans to discuss us, the Others. Charoli bothering their women, for one thing—I told her about the Losadunai plans to put a stop to them—but if I understand it right, some group of Others have approached a couple of clans about some trading.”
“That’s a surprise!”
“Yes. Communication is the biggest problem, but men of the Clan, including Guban, don’t trust the Others. While Guban was visiting the distant clan, he saw Yorga, and she saw him. Guban wanted her, but the reason he gave was to establish closer ties with some of the distant clans, so they could share news, particularly about all these new ideas. He brought her back with him! Men of the Clan don’t do that. Most of them would have made an intention known to the leader, returned and discussed it with his own clan, and given his first woman a chance to get used to the idea of sharing her hearth with another woman,” Ayla said.
“The first woman at his hearth didn’t know? That’s a brave man,” Jondalar said.
“His first woman had two daughters; he wants a woman who will make a son. Men of the Clan put great store in the sons of their mates, and, of course, Yorga hopes the baby she is carrying will be the boy he wants. She has had some trouble getting used to the new clan—they’ve been slow to accept her—and if Guban’s leg doesn’t heal properly, and he loses status, she’s afraid they will blame her.”
“No wonder she seemed so upset.”
Ayla refrained from mentioning to Jondalar that she had told Yorga she was on her way to her man’s home, away from her people, too. She didn’t see any reason to add to his worries, but she was still concerned about how his people would accept her.
Ayla and Yorga both wished it was possible to visit with each other and share their experiences. They felt they were almost kin, since there was probably a kinship debt between Guban and Jondalar, and Yorga felt closer to Ayla, in the brief time they had known each other, than to any of the other women she had met. But Clan and Others didn’t visit.
Guban woke up in the middle of the night, but he was still groggy. By morning he was alert, but reaction to the stresses of the previous day left him exhausted. When Jondalar ducked his head in the tent in the afternoon, Guban was surprised at how glad he was to see the tall man, but he didn’t know what to make of the crutches he held.
“I use same thing after lion attack me,” Jondalar explained. “Help me walk.”
Guban was suddenly interested and wanted to try them, but Ayla would not allow it. It was too soon. Guban finally acquiesced, but only after announcing that he would try them the next day. In the evening, Yorga let Ayla know that Guban wanted to talk to Jondalar about some very important matters and was requesting her help with translation. She knew it was serious, guessed what it was about, and talked