Noah’s face reddened. “I didn’t do it. It was Lucas. He ate the candles.”
“The votive candles at the church?” Jude’s jaw almost hit the floor. In his altar serving days, he’d snuck into the wine, but eating candles sure hadn’t entered his mind. “Seriously?”
What a way to start a Sunday evening. He was in for a manic Monday tomorrow, because he’d wanted to speak to the kids about Raven, not lecture about eating candles, for crying out loud. Screw it. He’d bought a strawberry shortcake from the diner, and of course he’d purchased the kids’ favorite cartoon to pop into the DVD player afterwards.
“Can we watch the Z Men now?” Noah whined.
“Not yet. We need to talk.” Jude finished filling up the sink. “Let me cut the cake.”
“Yeet!” Noah drummed on the table.
Oh yeah, yeet was the new it word at school, meaning a very strong yes. “And you get an extra-big slice.”
“Why?” Noah crinkled his brows.
Double oh yeah, because his son had reached the age of suspicion. Too bad. “I have something important to tell you.” Jude cut three slices.
“Lay it on me.” Noah winked.
This kid was too smart for his own good. Too much like me. “Here.” Jude set the three plates on the table and sat.
Noah dug into his right away. He ate so fast, a dollop of whipped cream sat on his nose. Rebekah gingerly picked away as her mother would.
“What da word? What da word?” Noah asked in between shoveling bite after bite into his mouth.
“Can you speak in English? No slang.”
“Ookay.” Noah grinned.
Jude reached over and ruffled his son’s coarse black hair that was as poker straight as his own. “I have something important to say.”
“What’s important?” Rebekah smiled like a true angel.
“Something chief.” Noah giggled at his sister.
“Rez slang now?” Jude should know better than to ask.
“Yep. Important is totally chief.”
“Remember when Mom first moved out? I explained she had a new friend?”
Noah’s black eyes clouded. “Yeah. Mr. Baker.”
“He’s always nice to us.” Rebekah ate some more of her cake.
“I’m glad he’s nice. He should be nice. He’s Mom’s friend.”
“You mean he’s gonna be our stepdad soon.” Noah glared at his plate.
“Why the face? Mr. Baker likes you both.”
“Yeah, I know. He’s... okay.” Noah’s shoulders sagged. “He takes us places. He does stuff with us.” His dark eyes lost their luster. “But he’s not you.”
“No, he’s not. He’ll never be me. But he can be your friend.” Jude used his faintest tone. He reached over and squeezed Noah’s fingers.
“Are you... do you... do you have a friend?” Noah’s lower lip trembled.
Jude kept squeezing Noah’s fingers and nodded.
“She—she’s gonna live here?”
Jude shook his head. “No. She won’t be like Mr. Baker and Mom. She’s my friend. I told you about how adults need friends. Your mom needed an adult friend, and that’s why she’s with Mr. Baker.”
“He—he told us to call him Stephen.” A tear rolled down Noah’s cheek.
This was getting serious if Charlene’s fiancé wanted to be on a first-name basis. But it had to happen. He’d one day be Noah and Rebekah’s stepfather. “Calling him Stephen’s okay. I told you. If an adult gives permission, you can call them by their first name.”
“And your friend? What’re we gonna call her?” Noah’s hand dampened in Jude’s palm.
“You’ll call her Miss Kabatay.”
Relief flooded Noah’s gaze. “Okay. Miss Kabatay.”
“I asked her to join us for dinner on Friday night.”
“Miss Kabatay,” Rebekah exclaimed. “The Miss Kabatay who lives with Grandma and Grandpa?”
“That Miss Kabatay?” Noah’s mouth fell open.
“Yes, that Miss Kabatay.”
“But... but Grandma said Miss Kabatay was living there ‘cause she has no place to live.”
“Yes. Uncle Darryl and Uncle Emery offered Miss Kabatay their spare room, but Grandma and Grandpa insisted Miss Kabatay stay there,” Jude reassured them.
“And you’re only friends.” Suspicion lurked in Noah’s eyes. “She won’t live with us like Mr. Baker lives with Mom?”
“No. We’re friends.”
When Noah stared at his plate of crumbs and then eyed the strawberry shortcake on the counter, Jude let out a breath of relief. One hurdle jumped. The kids needed time to get to know Raven. He wasn’t going to spring her on them like Charlene had done with Stephen. The kids were still fighting to accept that their Mom loved someone who wasn’t Dad.
“More?” Noah pointed at the cake, brows waggling.
Jude snickered. “Sure. Let’s go watch Z Men.”
* * * *
Since Monday was Raven’s day off, she helped Mrs. Matawapit with the laundry. They worked quietly in the back area of the house at seven-thirty in the morning. There was no Mass today for the deacon and his wife to race off to.
“Are you going to the forum tonight?” Mrs. Matawapit asked. She stood at the washing machine, sorting darks from lights.
Good question. “I’m not sure. I haven’t made up my mind.” Raven scooped up the load from the wash to hang on the line outside. “Are you and the deacon?”
“I’m watching the kids. Norman’s going.”
Raven hefted the laundry basket to take the clothes outside on the main deck.
The sliding door opening and closing carried to the back area.
“Good cigarette?” Raven called out, having already been outside to get her nicotine fix from her vape.
“Always a delight.” The deacon’s chuckle followed him. He stood in the hallway, holding a mug of coffee. “How about you? Did you get outside yet?”
“Yeah. While you were in the shower.” Raven opened the back door and stepped out into the cold. The scraped coating of snow clinging to the wooden deck seeped through her moccasins and iced her feet. She shivered.
“Will you be joining me this evening at the forum?” The deacon had followed her outside. He leaned against the doorway.
“I haven’t made up my mind.” Mom would be there, and Raven’s sisters. She’d be snubbed. Maybe she’d worsen the event for Darryl, too.
“Understandable.” Sympathy reflected in the deacon’s voice.
Raven had sorted the pants on top first. She secured her brown leggings with the clothes pins on the line.
“I’m sorry. I truly am,” the deacon said.
“There’s nothing to be sorry about.” Raven pushed on the wheel and sent the leggings out a foot. She reached for another pair of pants. “I expected Mom to act the way she did.”
The deacon frowned, but quickly used his hand to cover his hard-set lips. “You’ll always have a place here.”
The sincerity in his black eyes warmed Raven’s heart. Never in a million years—if someone had told her at the beginning of February that she’d not only fall in love with the family enemy, but turn to them in her time of need and live under the roof of a man she’d once detested, she wouldn’t have believed them.
Raven rode shotgun in the deacon’s truck to the multi-use center where the forum was taking place. They’d dropped off Mrs. Matawapit at Jude’s house. Jude’s truck cruised along up ahead of them.
She glanced at the deacon and then back to Jude’s truck.
The deacon followed Jude onto Lynx Road. Already, the parking lot was full. They stopped behind Jude’s truck. Raven didn’t realize Emery and Darryl were behind them, and they also parked.
Just as Emery cracked open the door, the dogs stampeded over him and leaped from the vehicle.
“Keemooch.” Raven squatted and petted the little black dog. “You take them everywhere,
hey?”
“Yes.” Emery tapped his gloved fingers against his thighs. He peeked at the building.
Darryl trounced off without a hello. He stared straight ahead.
While Emery, the deacon, and Jude talked, Raven trailed behind. Her family’s vehicles were also parked. The food she’d eaten during supper a half an hour ago seemed to try to crawl from her intestines. When they entered the big hall, Roy stood at a table where others from the church sat, waving them over.
Raven stopped for a moment. Last month she’d accompanied her family here. Now she sat with the enemy. Although she’d never embrace the Catholic religion, she could at least accept it, especially for Jude’s sake.
Darryl and Jude headed for the platform where Clayton already sat, flanked by Fawn and Mom. Lark, Wren, and the others sat at a nearby table.
“Coffee?” The deacon motioned at the long table set up against the wall.
“Sure.”
“I’ll fetch the java. You go on ahead. Jenny saved a seat for you.”
Raven turned to the Catholic table. Jenny waved, pointing at the chair.
Staring straight ahead, not daring to even look in her family’s direction, Raven squared her shoulders, lifted her chin, and gave a go at her confident sashay as she headed for Jenny.
At least nobody from the family had called Raven names during her journey across the community center. She removed the leather coat she’d proudly chosen to wear tonight—the very coat Jude had bought her.
“Oh my, gorgeous.” Jenny smiled. “Wherever did you get this?”
“Jude bought it for me when we took a trip into T. Bay.” Raven set the coat over the chair.
Surprise reflected in Jenny’s eyes. But her smile remained. “That’s Jude for you. He’s as generous as they come.”
Pride lit a warm candle in Raven’s chest. “Yes, he is.” How wonderful not to have to hide the fact Jude was her boyfriend.
Chief Willie’s son, Lonn, stepped up to the microphone. Raven approved of the MC. Lonn stood on neutral ground as Willie had while alive, practicing both ways.
“Boozhoo. Welcome, welcome.” Lonn grinned. Around forty-five, he was the splitting image of his departed dad. Long black braids, cowboy hat, jeans, cowboy boots, and sharp features.
“It’s great to see many out for tonight’s forum. Before we get started, I asked Basil to say the opening prayer. My dad taught me prayer is the best way to begin anything of importance, and this is a very important event. My wish is we all remember we’re Anishinaabe, and to conduct ourselves as our ancestors did. Let’s make them proud we are continuing to honor tradition. Okay?” He nodded at Basil.
Relief seeped across Raven’s stiff lower back. Lonn’s reminder was important. Copies of the two letters were on the table. She grasped both.
Everyone stood as Basil launched into the opening prayer.
After about ten minutes, Basil shuffled back to his seat. The debate would commence.
Lonn came forward. “Remember, this is a forum. As the MC, I’ll chair this on behalf of the two candidates. I’ll first let Darryl Keejik begin, because he is the man defending himself. I placed both letters on the tables. If you haven’t read a copy yet, which I highly doubt, seeing how the moccasin telegraph is quite reliable around here...”
Everyone chuckled.
“... I suggest you read both before asking any questions.” Lonn swiveled. “You have the floor.”
Darryl murmured something to Jude who sat beside him. Jude had his laptop open and papers in front of him. He motioned at the microphone.
Clearing his throat, Darryl moved the microphone closer. He sipped from the glass of water. “Good evening. I’m glad to see many out tonight. I’m sure you have questions, and I’m here to answer them. I’ll start by giving you some background. I won’t take up too much time speaking about the past, but the past’s important.”
Raven snuck a peek at Emery, who sat, head bowed. He seemed to be fiddling with something beneath the table that she couldn’t see.
“I’m looking at all the faces here, and I’d say it’s almost the same who were here during a special meeting held two summers ago. It involved the church.” Darryl’s gaze roamed around the many tables. “At that meeting, I shared my story. This is pointed out in my letter on the tables.”
There were murmurs and nods from the people.
“As I said in my letter, I was an angry, young, single man in my twenties living in Winnipeg when the—I’ll call it the incident in respect to the diverse group present. Yes, this happened when I was twenty-four during a bachelor party.
“A friend was marrying, and we took him out for his last hurrah as a single man. No, we did not encourage him to engage in any kind of activities with the escort we propositioned. We were, and I still am, men who believed in faithfulness to our partners. It was the single men who participated in the incident.”
Darryl wet his lips, his gaze still addressing the many people present. “Am I proud of what I did? No.” His voice flattened. “I’m not proud at all. If I could go back and erase what I did, I would, but I can’t. Why? Because although the young man was of age and selling certain... services, I don’t know what put him in that position—selling illegal services... to others.
“There are many people out there forced into this line of... service. Some have no choice and need the money. Some have an addiction they need to feed. But I’m not here to judge why people do what they do. I’m here to address me and me only.
“Have I ever cheated on any of my partners over the years? A flat-out no.” The intensity of Darryl’s dark eyes more than said he spoke the truth. “Have I ever cheated on my husband? Never. As I said two years ago in this same facility, my husband is the only person I ever wanted for a partner—a person I wanted to always and will always spend my life with.”
He cleared his throat and sipped more water. His hand holding the glass never shook. “If you have any questions, now is the time to ask.”
Albert, an older man, stood.
Lonn walked across the floor. “One at a time. Whoever has the microphone is the only person allowed to speak.”
Raven glanced at Clayton’s hard stare directed at Darryl. Her brother was moving into annihilation mode. And Albert was a friend of the family. If Clayton had dared to plant spectators in the crowd whose sole purpose was to embarrass Darryl, she wasn’t sure what she’d do. But one thing—she’d lose the last smidge of respect she had for her brother.
“You did something illegal,” Albert said in his thick bush accent while Lonn held the microphone. “What if you do it again?”
Jude faced Darryl, his left hand resting on the laptop.
Darryl clasped his fingers together. “Yes, I did something illegal. Soliciting the services of another selling his... favors... is a crime in our country. And no, I won’t ever do something illegal again.”
Marlice, another friend of the family, raised her hand. Lonn hurried over. He held the microphone to her mouth.
“I can’t vote for a person who does something like that.” Marlice wagged her finger. “What you did is wrong.”
“I agree.” Darryl’s amplified voice carried through the hall. “What I did was very wrong. I’m sorry you lost your confidence in me. I hope you will reconsider at the voting booth come voting day.”
“Never.” Marlice flicked her hand in a dismissive manner and sat.
“May I speak.” Clayton’s cheeks were drawn in. He stared at Darryl.
“Go ahead.” Lonn motioned at the microphone in front of Clayton.
“How a man conducts his personal life says a lot about how he’ll conduct his professional life,” Clayton began, hunched over the microphone, still firing his hard stare at Darryl.
“Yes, it does. I completely agree.” Darryl sat tall in his chair, having adjusted the microphone so he wouldn’t have to hunch over. “I fully agree how a man conducts his personal life says a lot abo
ut him.”
When Darryl broke his stare and let his gaze wander to where Raven sat, the air drained from her lungs.
“Yes, it says a lot about a man.” Darryl kept staring at her.
The color depleted from Clayton’s face. His naturally narrow, dark eyes settled on Raven for the first time since she’d been booted from Mom’s house.
“If a man can’t protect his very own... what does that say about him?” Darryl asked, voice calm.
“It says a lot. A man...” Clayton kept staring at Raven.
His lingering look seemed to pierce her insides. The saliva dried in her mouth. He was her big brother. He’d always done right by her, had done his best, but Mom had taken a good man and poisoned his mind since he was but a baby. Clayton didn’t have the twelve-step program to help him through his dilemma, but he did have the Seven Grandfathers. She could only pray that he’d turn to Creator and finally be the man Creator wished him to be.
“I have no more questions for you, Darryl.” Clayton’s words were a low rumbling of quiet resignation. “The people will decide who they wish to lead them.”
Chapter Thirty-four: Road to Paradise
Raven clutched the gift bags against her chest. She was on her way to Jude’s, being chauffeured by Mrs. Matawapit who’d insisted on taking her.
“If Norman and I accept you, the children will follow suit. It’s how we taught our grandchildren to behave. Don’t worry.” Mrs. Matawapit patted Raven’s hand.
“I hope they like their gifts.” Raven fingered the moccasins.
“They’ll love them. They love their dream catchers, don’t they?” Mrs. Matawapit stared straight ahead, smiling.
“It was fun... a lot of fun.”
It had been. This week, the kids had come over to eat every night because they loved being at their grandparents’. On Tuesday night, they’d curiously peered at her, since Jude had told them on Sunday evening their dad was seeing Miss Kabatay, the special lady who lived at Grandpa and Grandma’s.
The children had fun working on the dream catchers. Rebekah had even sat on Raven’s lap. Noah had been slightly leery for the first couple of dinners, which was normal. The poor boy had been through a lot of changes. But by Thursday night, he’d turned into a mischievous imp who loved surprising and teasing people.
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