After an hour of eating and chatting, Paara stood up.
"I'm going to get some fermented corn, does anyone else want some?" she asked.
"Alcohol?" Fatima asked softly. Ty nodded, so Fatima shook her head a little. "No, thank you, I appreciate the offer, though," she said.
"You want one, man?" Ty asked. Rountree shrugged and nodded.
"Sure, why not?" Rountree asked, wrapping his arm around Fatima.
"You want another water?" Paara asked Fatima.
"Sure, thank you," Fatima said politely. Paara slipped away, then a few minutes later returned with four cups.
"You don't drink alcohol, you said?" Paara asked, moving her seat closer to Ty. Fatima touched the fabric of her hijab and smiled softly.
"No, it goes against my religion, but I don't have a problem being around it," she explained.
"Is there anything else you don't do?" Paara asked.
"Um, there's a lot of foods I can't eat, but most of them won't be a problem here. I don't eat pork usually, but if it's what you're serving-"
"Nonsense. We have chicken and eggs too, if we have pork, then I'll make sure there's a plate for you," Paara said. Fatima teared up momentarily at the kindness.
"Thank you," she whispered.
"Of course. In this village, we are of mixed cultures. Your religion is not familiar to us, but I hope to learn about it," Paara said softly, reaching over to touch Fatima's hand. "If there is something we can do to better accommodate you, please let us know."
Just then, Rountree saw something in the sky. "Hey, what's that? It doesn't look like a shooting star," he said softly.
"Oh, my God," Ty said when he saw what Rountree was referring to.
"Is that-"
"I believe it is."