The Fellowship of Tears

A Day He Won't Ever Forget

When Blink entered the kitchen to talk with his brother-in-law over a cup of coffee, the fearful feeling evoked by the dream of the glowing hand had faded well enough for Blink to maintain a normal frame of mind.

Blink and Jogr launched into a few minutes of bantering, mostly started by the latter who kept mentioning names of girls Blink could potentially marry in the near future, if not right away. Because Blink knew all the girls named by Jogr (since everybody of the less than five thousand native residents in the village of Kasgar knew each other), and found them nowhere near half as lovely as his beloved Berge, Blink did not have anything nice to say about them. In fact, he even said a few awful comments that shocked his elder sister.

Blink ridiculed one of the girls as too skinny even crocodiles won’t deign to eat her. He said her bones had been sticking out too long that they just might prick a crocodile’s digestive tract and get stuck in there.

“Girls who are all bones rub painfully on me,” Blink added.

Jogr then dropped the name of Nitka, a really plump girl.

“Fine, as long as you help me build the pen to helm her in lest she’ll lose weight and not be attractive enough on market day,” Blink guffawed at his own self-proclaimed wit.

The clanging of a pot cover falling startled Blink. He turned towards the direction of the sound and saw his elder sister glaring at him, hands on her hips.

“Nimgun, even if I don’t personally approve of those girls for you, you could at least speak with a bit more modesty,” Magra reprimanded Blink.

“That’s right, Nimgun,” Jogr chimed in. “That comment about Nitka was totally uncalled for.”

Blink was about to show a submissive expression towards his Namgan Magra but balked upon hearing his brother-in-law’s opportunistic criticism of him.

“You’re one to talk, who started it?” he protested vehemently.

“It’s not who lit the fire, but who fanned the flame,” Jogr cooly replied.

Blink was taken aback momentarily. “You probably played out that dialogue many times over in your mind, didn’t you?” Blink accused his opponent in this verbal crossing of swords.

Jogr was about to dish out another witticism Blink suspected the latter had memorized when Magra interjected.

“You two can cut it off! All I’m asking is for you to not price yourself too much.” She was looking at Blink with her usual overbearing glare.

“Fine,” Blink shrugged his shoulders. “But I really was only joking. It’s Namgun who’s taken his matchmaking role a tad too seriously.”

At that his brother-in-law protested. “Of course, I was only joking. I’m well aware you have a girlfriend who is rumored to be so beautiful kings would barter their kingdoms if only to be favored with her smile.”

“Well, she’s not bad looking.”

“Oh, c’mon! That’s all you’re going to say about her? She’s not bad looking? You can do better than that.”

“Okay, she’s exceedingly beautiful.”

“That’s more like it!” Jogr reached out an open palm to Blink and the latter slapped it playfully.

Suddenly, a naughty glint passed in Jogr’s eyes.

“Have you…” Jogr winked his eyebrows at Blink twice.

Blink furrowed his brows, not understanding Jogr’s meaning at first. Then, as the realization dawned on him on what the two winks meant, he was at first flummoxed than later on indignant.

“Just what kind of a man did you take me for!” he bellowed in his soft-spoken voice. Blink could be quite angry already yet the other person would still not realize it because he had a soft gentle voice that seemed to caress one’s eardrums.

“See, I was just joking and you’re taking it too seriously again. Of course, I think you’re a well-mannered gentleman through and through. Sheez, over six years at the Ragha Martial Arts Academy and you haven’t gained just a bit of a sense of humor.”

“It was a lame joke,” Magra harped at her husband.

“What she said,” Blink added.

Jogr lifted his cup and took a long gulp.

“I’m done with my cup,” he said. “I’m off to check on the farm and be back in time for breakfast.”

“I’ll go with you, Blink offered.

“Nimgun, hold on. There’s something I want to talk to you about.” Magra waited for her husband to head out.

“In that case, I’ll be off first,” her husband said. He exited the kitchen and strode out into the direction of their farm.

“What is it?” Blink said. He was worried that his sister would ask the same question she asked the day before.

Magra took her time before saying something, as if weighing on her mind how to best say whatever needed to be said.

“Um…Ah…It’s like this, Nimgun. The heads of each family will convene at the village center this morning two hours from now…”

“You want me to help Namgun get elected as village chief,” Blink finished the sentence for her.

Magra looked startled. It took her a while to recompose herself.

“Yes, that’s exactly what I was going to ask of you. Can you …get it done?”

“I’ll most certainly try. Anything else?”

Magra collected her thoughts for a while but still seemed flustered over something. “I think that’s it,” she said at last. “And thank you.”

“No problem, Namgan,” Blink assured her. “I’ll head out to the farm then to make sure the next village chief doesn’t come late to his election.”

For a moment, Blink turned a little hesitant. “He doesn’t know, does he?” Blink asked.

Magra shook her head. “It’s just between the two of us.”

Blink smiled radiantly. “You sure are the best, Namgan. I’ll go see Namgun now.”

Magra nodded her head.

Over at the farm, Blink and Jogr revisited some of their old bantering topics while picking out weeds and pests. Blink worked furiously. He knew that his brother-in-law would not deign to leave the farm unless he was satisfied with the amount of work done.

“Slow down, Nimgun, we got all the time!” Jogr chortled.

Blink didn’t mind him one bit and even increased his pace. “This is going to be a day you won’t ever forget,” he declared before his brother-in-law.

Jogr was quite baffled. “You mean you’re going to try to do more work in two hours than ten men could do in a whole day?”

“No, it’s bigger than that. This one will be a life-changer.”

Jogr scratched his head. “What is it?” he asked.

“You’ll find out later.”

“Why are you suddenly being mysterious?”

“He he.”

“Oh, come now and tell me what’s this life-changer you were talking about.”

“Good things come to those who wait.”

“You played that dialogue in your head many times, didn’t you?”

Blink just laughed heartily.

When they had been in the field an hour, Blink dragged his brother-in-law under the pretense that he needed to attend to something important that morning. Since, Blink had done a very thorough job, Jogr didn’t protest.

During breakfast, Blink instructed Hubr to report to the training center saying he would see him there after attending to something.

Magra then casually reminded Jogr that he should attend the meeting of family heads to select the next village chief for the next five years.

Jogr didn’t want to go, but Magra insisted that it was his duty as the head of the family to be there. Blink voiced out his agreement and added that he would accompany his brother-in-law to the meeting.

“But don’t you have some important matter to take care of?” Jogr asked.

“The important matter is something I have to discuss with them,” Blink replied matter-of-factly.