He nodded and taking my hand he led me from the house and out into the orange glow of this inner world. Trustingly I followed his lead as he led me up the beach and towards the most delicious of aromas I had ever smelled.
Along the way island women, clothed in nothing more than what passed for a skirt such as what I wore, came up close to slip beautifully worked necklaces of flowers over my head. The warmth of these people, the idyllic setting of this protected village, and the feel of my lover's touch through my fingers and all the memories that evoked of what had transpired between the two of us, all went to convince me that somehow against all odds I had ended up in Paradise.
Would it last though? I didn't know, but I intended to enjoy every moment of it while it did last.
The smell of food was overwhelming and I couldn't help but tug a little in the direction of it, but Tolak led me off elsewhere and with a forlorn look backwards toward the direction of food and the crowd of snickering individuals who were delighting in my lack of knowledge I obediently followed the tug of my husband's hand. He was following along a trail through some trees and jungle undergrowth, which suddenly opened out on yet another stretch of beach, but we were the only ones here.
A stone seat sat in the sand of the beach and all around it lay platters of delicately prepared food. Walking barefoot after Tolak through the warm sand I prepared to enact some ritual of where I served him food, but to my surprise he led me to the chair of stone and pressed me down to sit upon it.
In wordless surprise I watched him kneel down on one knee before me. He picked up a leaf wrapped bundle of what looked like meat and rice combined with spices and with utter sincerity he said as he held the food up to my lips, "As my wife it is my pleasure to serve you."
Feeling a tear slip down my cheek I forced myself past the sentimental emotions I felt in the moment to take a bite. I truly was in Paradise.
Bite after bite of the best tasting food I had ever had washed down by the clearest water that I'd ever seen had me so wrapped around this man's finger that I would've done anything for him. He'd honored me as a Queen, but of a truth he seemed to be a King among his people.
Slipping off the stone seat onto my knees before him I asked, "Why all this?"