Bastian and Atreyu hadn't realized how tired they were until they were in the car during the ride to the next setup site. The two exhausted teens were asleep in only a few minutes. Lindsay couldn't help chuckling at the two of them in the back seat. Bastian had his head on Atreyu's shoulder, and Atreyu's head was resting on Bastian's. Unable to resist any more, she eased the car off the road at a rest stop and turned and took a digital picture of the boys with her cell phone. She then sent the picture to Linda via email now that she had her friends address.
Pulling back into traffic, she drove the rest of the way to the fairgrounds without stopping. When she got there, the boys were still asleep. She got out of the car and helped her husband detach the food wagon and the snow cone stand from their respective vehicles.
"The boys must have needed a pit stop," he observed as they were working. "I saw you pull into the rest area right after we left."
"No, it wasn't the boys," she laughed softly. "Well, actually it was, but not the way you think." She showed him the picture she had taken and shared the warm smile that spread across his face.
"It's moments like that when I still see our little boy, even if he has chosen his mate already," Atreyu's father said a little emotionally.
"Do you think they are that serious?" Lindsay asked.
"Well, they had better be if they plan to share that tent tonight," her husband responded.
"What do you mean?"
"Ancient tribal customs, my love," Jack explained. "The boys have admitted their relationship to us. If they have sex in that tent tonight, by tribal law, they will be married."
"Married?" Lindsay asked in shock.
"That's right," Jack assured his wife. "They won't be married by the laws of the United States of course, but on any Native American reservation in the country, they will be considered a married couple, with full rights and benefits of any other married couple."
"They're just boys, though," Lindsay protested.
"They're old enough to know how they feel about one another," Jack pointed out.
"But… but…"
"Don't worry, dear," Jack soothed his wife. "I will talk to them before they bed down tonight. We will know in the morning when they get up if they are a couple."
"I wanted to plan a nice big wedding for him," Lindsay pouted. "I didn't know that all it took was sleeping together. Wait, doesn't this mean that they already are a couple? You and I both know they did things at Lesley's yesterday."
"It takes more than just having sex," Jack corrected. "The tribal law comes into play only when they have sex in a dwelling that one of them owns. Atreyu is the owner of the tent they will share tonight. That means that if he engages in sex with a partner in that dwelling, he is performing the act of marriage. If it makes you feel any better, there is a ceremony that can be performed to recognize their union within the tribe."
"You mean I can still plan a wedding?" Lindsay asked hopefully.
"I will call the tribal shaman tomorrow and ask him to find us this summer and talk with us and the boys about it," Jack told her. "Don't plan for tuxes, though," he added with a laugh. "It is a traditional ceremony, so the traditional clothing must be worn by all the parties, that would include Lesley and Edward." He looked around at the site for a moment and then nodded. "Well, that's all we can do tonight. Would you mind watching the store tonight while I take the boys out to dinner?"
"How come I don't get to eat out?"
"Because I doubt the boys would be comfortable talking about their sex life and possible marriage in front of you," Jack said pointedly.
"Oh, all right," she said flatly. "I guess I see your point. Just make sure they know that I love them, no matter what they decide."
A few minutes later, Jack and the two teens were sitting a booth in the local Mickey D's. Jack had purposely steered the boys to the most remote one in the building to ensure their privacy. Fortunately, the place was nearly deserted.
"Atreyu, what tent were you planning to use tonight?" Jack asked his son as they began eating.
"Dad, we only have one tent," Atreyu responded with a questioning look at his father. He wondered if the old man had been in the sun too long today.
"Who owns that tent?" Jack persisted.
"I do, I guess," Atreyu told him. "Don't you remember, Dad? You and Mom gave it to me for my birthday last year."
"Yes son, I remember," Jack assured Atreyu. "I promise I am not senile, yet. I just needed to know if you were aware of what would happen if you and Bastian share that tent tonight."
"We'll sleep," Atreyu said flatly.
"Is that all you plan to do tonight, just sleep?" Jack prodded.
"That's kind of personal, don't you think, Dad?" Atreyu said with a blush.
"If you're trying to find out if I'm going to infect Atreyu with something," Bastian started.
"Relax, boys," Jack said quickly cutting them both off. "I'm not worried about that right now. Lesley assured us she had already had that conversation with you."
"Great!" Bastian mumbled. "Why don't we just take out a billboard that says Bastian is a virgin? That way everyone could find out together."
"Well, actually she didn't share that information with me," Jack pointed out. "I didn't know until you just said it. There's nothing wrong with being a virgin, though. That's sort of why I brought the whole topic up. Atreyu, do you know much of the marriage customs of our people?"
"Not really, Dad," the teen confessed. "I should study more of our heritage, but I don't have a lot of time for it."
"Maybe you should make some time for it," Jack told his son. "I will try to spend more time teaching you what I know. Let's start now. Bastian, Atreyu, according to our customs, you need to think long and hard about what you do in that tent tonight. No pun intended." The boys giggled for a moment at his choice of words, but saw that he was serious.
"What are you telling us?" Bastian asked the man.
"If you engage in sexual activity within a dwelling owned by Atreyu, you will be performing an act of marriage," Jack finally told them. Both boys sat in silence with their mouths hanging open. "You won't be married by the laws of the state or the country, only in the eyes of the tribe. It will be binding on any reservation you ever visit or someday live on."
"Married as in husband and wife married?" Atreyu asked.
"Till death do us part married?" Bastian queried.
"Yes and yes," Jack confirmed. "While there is a ceremony involved to get official recognition of the tribe, you would still be considered married to one another in the eyes of tribal law. Something else to remember is that we don't have divorce in our customs."
"Wait a minute, Dad," Atreyu said quickly. "Isn't Uncle Abe divorced?"
"Yes, by the laws of the United States, my brother is divorced from his first wife," Jack answered. "By tribal law, however, he has two wives. He has simply given one of those wives her freedom to choose another mate. If she remarries, she will have two husbands."
"Polygamy is against the law, though," Bastian pointed out.
"Not on Native Reservations, unless they declare it so," Jack explained. "The laws of the United States do not apply on Native American land. Reservations are separate countries unto themselves and their citizens have dual citizenship in the tribe and the US."
"That's cool," Bastian thought out loud. "So you guys are foreigners."
"We were here first," Jack pointed out with a smile. "That makes you the foreigner in my book."
"I knew that our culture had fewer problems with gays," Atreyu admitted. "I just never knew much about the marriage customs. I didn't think I would ever get married, so it didn't occur to me."
"It is something that you need to know after all, Atreyu," Jack said with a smile. "Your mother has told me that she has always wanted to plan your wedding. You don't want to disappoint her, do you?" At the panicked look from both boys, he laughed. "Don't worry; she can't do anything until we talk to the shaman. I will be calling him and asking him to talk to all of us as soon as he can."
"So some stranger gets to know that I'm gay," Bastian murmured.
"No, my grandfather does," Atreyu pointed out. "Dad's father is the shaman." Somehow this didn't calm Bastian as his boyfriend had hoped. "Relax, blondie, he'll love you. He adores me and would never dislike someone I like."
"It may not be as simple as introducing a new friend, son," Jack pointed out. "This time you are presenting your potential life partner." As the boys thought that over, he announced that he would go get Lindsay some food to go, and then it would be time to leave.
Once they got back to the fairgrounds, Jack helped the boys put up the tent. They weren't talking very much even to each other. He finally called them over to the folding table that Atreyu's mother would serve them breakfast on the next morning.
"Boys, I want you to know that I understand this is a really big decision to make," Jack told them. "I also want you to realize that if either of you isn't ready for this, it doesn't mean that you are breaking up. You could just be asking for more time to think about it." He paused to let them absorb that thought before continuing. "Lindsay and I will support you either way. We love you guys, both of you," he added looking directly at Bastian. "I will respect any decision you make, and I expect each of you to respect one another's wishes as well."
"Would you guys mind if I call my parents?" Bastian asked. "I kind of want to talk to them about this. Mom would kill me if she knew that I was thinking about something this serious without at least telling her what's going on."
"That is a very thoughtful thing to do," Jack said with a smile. "I wouldn't want to have the Native Americans wars start all over again because we didn't tell your parents that you are about to become a married man."
"Well, we haven't decided that," Atreyu said quickly. Bastian looked at him for a moment before walking away with his cell phone in his hand.
"I will leave you now, my son," Jack said solemnly. "Let your own heart and the Great Spirit guide your thoughts and words as well as your actions tonight." He paused before asking rather quietly, "Would it be alright to kiss your forehead as I used to do when you were little? Tomorrow my little boy may be a married man." Taking his son's silence as assent, he quickly gave Atreyu a peck on the head. "Goodnight, Atreyu."
"Goodnight Dad," Atreyu replied absently. He was watching where his boyfriend had disappeared into the night and trying to figure out what Bastian had been thinking as he had walked away. Meanwhile, Bastian was talking to his mother on the phone.