Just then, Bertine remembered something she’d been wondering about for some time now. She wasn’t sure if she should bring it up though, afraid it would spoil the mood. But Cecilio saw right through her.
“Is there something you want to ask me?”
“Did you ever court Monica?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Then did she ever declare her feelings for you?”
“…”
“I thought as much. I had a feeling, you know.”
“We’re finally alone camping under the stars, so I don’t know why we have to talk about Monica now.”
“You’re right. Nothing good comes of jealousy.”
“I have no reason for my eyes or heart to stray toward another when I finally got my hands on you.”
His wording made her giggle.
“Why, I’m flattered. And I’m sorry for bringing this up. I couldn’t help being suspicious at the idea of having a married woman as a childhood friend.”
“I can’t help either of those things. Monica is a childhood friend, and she is married.”
“I know. Neither of those are your fault either.”
“Exactly. Although I must admit, I don’t mind your occasional bouts of jealousy. I would even say they make me happy in a way.”
They spread a thick blanket on the ground and another one on top of it before slipping between the layers. Nothing made her feel safer or more at peace than sleeping in the cradle of Cecilio’s arms. Then the hot wine did its magic and she fell into a deep sleep.
“Bertie. Bertie, wake up.”
“Hm? Wh-What is it?”
“I hear something walking around us outside. Animals, perhaps. It would be dangerous if they charged into the tent, so wake up. Hold on to a knife though, just in case. I’ll go out and chase them away.”
“Will do.”
Immediately after he left the tent, she heard the sounds of an intense struggle. Bertine wondered what sort of beasts were giving him such a challenge. Curious, she peeked out from a gap in the tent and saw six enormous wild boars. The leader of the pack possessed terrifying, dagger-like tusks.
“I know just the thing for this situation,” she said.
She took out a long, narrow box and opened it, then picked up the familiar rifle inside to load it with bullets. When she stepped cautiously outside, Cecilio snapped angrily at her.
“What are you doing?! Stay inside! It’s dangerous out here!”
He had managed to kill one of them, but it only agitated the others as they raced around the perimeter repeatedly before charging directly at him.
“I’m sorry.”
Simultaneously, she fired off three rounds in succession. Bang! Bang! Bang! Each of her shots found their mark in three separate boars. Their bodies collapsed to the ground with heavy thuds. The remaining two quickly fled after noticing they were outnumbered.
“Ceci, are you hurt?” she asked.
“No. What about you?”
“Not a scratch. Ceci.”
“What?”
“If we don’t bleed them right away, the meat won’t taste as good.”
“…”
“You know what they say when you take a life. It’s the victor’s responsibility to make sure it doesn’t go to waste.”
The menace in Cecilio’s battle-ready body slowly drained away.
“Aha ha ha ha!”
“What? What’s the matter?”
“You really are your father’s daughter. Heh. You always steal the show.”
“But you know I never intend to. Stop being so mean.”
They grinned at each other then set about draining the blood from the four dead wild boars. Each weighed a little over two hundred pounds. Once the bloodletting was done, they gutted the carcasses before butchering the meat. By the time they finished, the sun had long since risen high in the sky.
They washed off the blood in a small stream leading to the river then buried the offal nearby, though not too deeply. The carnivores in the forest would eventually sniff out the remains and dig them up to consume.
Cecilio used long, narrow pieces of wood to build a fire. He laid down a rough lattice of branches to create a makeshift grill on which to smoke the carved meat. Bertine diligently picked up dead branches and twigs to help him stoke the fire.
While checking often on the meat as it cooked, he set up a small pot at the edge of the fire to boil water for tea.
“Huh.”
“What is it?”
“I feel like I’m back in the army, doing camping exercises,” he said.
“Ha! I’m sorry. I guess I didn’t need to kill all three. But I wasn’t thinking rationally at the time, not when they were targeting you,” Bertine confessed.
“Well, I for one am relieved to know what a dependable wife I have. I know you’ll protect our children should anything ever happen to me.”
“No. You must live a long life. You must. Or I’ll do you in myself.”
So saying, Bertine rested her head on his back.
“You’re right. Forgive me for saying such an unlucky thing.”
After that, they continued checking on the mountain of boar meat until it was all cooked. When the Hummingbird arrived in the evening to collect them, the riverboat’s crew stared at them in shock. They had thought the two were enjoying a sweet night as newlyweds only to find out they stayed up all night draining and butchering wild boar carcasses.
Dorothée was stunned by the mountain of boar meat they returned home carrying. She couldn’t help commenting after Bertine told her how it happened.
“My lady, don’t you think that’s a bit much? It’s not very charming or ladylike behavior.”
She sounded like a worried mother. But Bertine was unfazed.
“Not at all. In fact, he said he fell in love with me all over again at the impressive sight I made shooting the boars down.”
Husband and wife are two peas in a pod, Dorothée thought with a rueful smile at Bertine’s proud response. She conceded defeat with good grace.