by Linda Bridey
Marcus smiled as he remembered all of the wrestling lessons his brothers had given him, especially He Who Runs. Thinking about his deceased brother brought him such pain that tears flowed freely as he helped erect the tipi. Some noticed but didn’t comment on it.
Once it was finished, Brook and Sparrow helped Zoe set up the inside, organizing the various containers, and readying the fire pit.
Sparrow said, “I know a certain deputy who better get hunting, so that we may have enough deer hides to build our tipi very soon.”
Jack heard and grinned, his blue eyes shining at the prospect of having a tipi there. “Yes, ma’am.”
Their three-year-old son, Danny, ran around shouting, “Gonna have a tipi!” His cousin Bobby joined him, and they all smiled as the sound of their young voices floated on the slight breeze.
The five older children wrestled and played tag. Marcus, ever a child at heart, joined them. It wasn’t long until many of them, adults and children alike played the game. The clearing once again echoed with the sounds of horseplay and laughter.
*****
Eddie Baxter walked with his wife, Deena, and their baby girl, Carrie, down to their house, which stood on the far side of the pond from the main house on the Dwyer estate. They’d just gotten through with dinner. The employees usually ate with the Dwyers, considered by them as family. As he looked off to his right, Eddie saw smoke rising in the air over the trees. It looked to be coming from the land Joe had bought.
“Honey, go on home. I have to go tell Joe about that smoke,” he said.
“Ok. You need to catch it right away before it spreads, Eddie,” she responded.
“I know.”
Eddie sprinted for the house and entered through the sunroom, which was the fastest route from the barn and pond area. He ran back into the dining room where several people still sat.
“Joe, there’s smoke coming from the area of the old camp. I don’t know why. We’d better go check it out,” he said.
Joe got up from the table and went outside. As he scanned the horizon in that direction, he saw the smoke in the growing twilight and smiled. “Eddie, that’s a campfire. A big one, I’d say. Raven didn’t waste any time, I guess.”
“You think so?”
Joe gave Eddie a mischievous grin and said, “Only one way to find out.”
*****
The people in the camp were startled to hear, “Hey, it’s just Joe!” ring out from the direction of the trail leading to the Dwyer estate. This was the way Joe had always announced that he was coming into the camp. They laughed as the mayor and company rode into sight. The new arrivals brought some whiskey with them, and all of the adults had a little. Eddie had brought along a set of knuckles and the competition began. Good-natured jibes and laughter ensued as the game progressed. When the moon started to rise and children and babies became sleepy, the group began to disperse, parting with hugs and goodnights until Raven and Zoe were completely alone.
They sat by the large fire that was dying down, Raven’s back against a large log and Zoe leaning against him. Zoe looked out over the wide space between the trees and thought about how beautiful it was.
She rubbed Raven’s forearms, which rested around her waist, and said, “It’s peaceful here. I see why you love it.”
“Mmm hmm. It was always this way late at night, even when you could hear people talking quietly and a baby crying here and there. Everyone went to bed whenever they wanted, but by a certain time of night, they knew to be respectful and not make a lot of noise. I remember sitting with Uncle Marcus until after midnight as he showed me how to whittle all kinds of things. He’s very talented. Children in our culture do not have bedtimes. Many times we would just fall asleep and be carried to our sleeping pallets. Or if we were in someone else’s tipi, just covered and let sleep where we were.”
“Really? Weren’t your parents worried?” Zoe asked.
She felt him shake his head slightly. “No. They knew that as long as we were in camp we were safe. Lakota adults watch all of the children, not just their own. If a child was hungry, whatever adult was around fed them. Children in our culture are not scolded, instead rewarded for good behavior or gently chastised into behaving as they should. Most of the time, children want to be good, and they want to please their parents and grandparents.”
This type of parenting was unfamiliar to Zoe. “So the whole community is responsible for the care and disciplining of a child.”
“Yes. Until he married, Marcus was a favorite uncle who was counted on much of the time he was in camp to care for and play with us.” Raven laughed. “He enjoyed the rough play as much as we did. Maybe more. He still does, as you saw tonight. My father has always said that Uncle Marcus will never completely grow up and I think he’s right. My parents want to meet you.”
Zoe turned quickly and accidently elbowed him in the ribs. He grunted and chuckled.
“Sorry. They do?” she asked. “You told them about me?”
An annoyed look crossed his face and he said, “Yes. I am not very good at hiding things from my parents and some others in my tribe. I can hide many things from my white family and friends, but when it comes to my people, I’m not good at it. It was very difficult growing up sometimes because they could read my body posture very well and know if I was upset or not.
“Anyway,” he said with a dismissive hand gesture, “they could see how happy I was when I was there yesterday and were able to guess that it had to do with a woman. I could have refused to tell them, but why should I hide the reason for my happiness? So I told them about you, and they want me to bring you next week. How do you feel about that?”
Zoe said, “You want me to go to the reservation?”
“Well, since that is where they are, yes,” Raven said with a wry smile.
She said, “I would love to meet them, but I’m also scared. What if they don’t like me?”
“They will like you, Zoe. I know my parents, and they will see what a good woman you are, the same way I do. My father was very happy with the things you and Auntie made. As long as you keep making him sweets, he will always like you.”
Zoe laughed. “What about your mother?”
Raven shrugged. “You cannot skin a deer or make moccasins, but you can play banjo and ice skate. That you make me happy will be enough for her. You should take your banjo and play for them. The Lakota like music of all kinds. Seth used to play fiddle for us often, Luke, too. It would make them happy to hear music like that again.”
“I would be honored to meet them and play for them. I’ll be nervous, but I want to meet them very much,” Zoe said.
“Good,” Raven said with a nod.
Zoe asked, “Is your father the oldest of the five siblings?”
“Yes. Uncle Marcus is the youngest, then Uncle Owl, then Aunt Squirrel, and then my other uncle, then my father,” Raven said. “We do not speak the names of those who have passed away so that they are not bound to this world, so I will not say his name or my aunt’s.”
Zoe swallowed. “I understand. Owl and Marcus look a lot alike.”
Raven smiled. “Yes. Sometimes from the back, it is hard to tell them apart. Aunt Claire has mistaken Uncle Owl for Uncle Marcus and pinched his rear end a few times.”
“What did Owl do?” Zoe said as she laughed.
“Just laughed and teased her about it. It was very funny.”
“I’ll bet. What is your father like?”
“I am his height now, but I look like both of my parents. Do not be afraid of Father. Some people are intimidated by him, but don’t be. He is very kind and actually has a very good sense of humor. He loves children and our people and has always been wise about the decisions he has made. My other uncle and he used to sometimes argue about things because my uncle was more traditional in things than my father,” Raven said.
“Like what?”
“Like Uncle Marcus. When he first came here, my other uncle wasn’t too happy about it, but Father and U
ncle Owl were very amused by Uncle Marcus and accepted him quickly. My other uncle took longer to warm up to him. Uncle Marcus wouldn’t leave him alone. He teased him, wrestled with him, insulted him, and argued with him, until they became close.
“My other uncle was always very fierce looking, even though he was kind and liked to have fun, too. My cousin, Minx resembles him in both spirit and looks than Reckless does. He takes more after my other aunt. He was also a good leader of our people. My aunt was a very talented story teller. Reckless is gifted with that ability as well as being a dreamer.”
Zoe snuggled closer to him and laid her head on his chest. She enjoyed the sound of his voice in her ear. “A dreamer?”
“There are certain people who have the ability to see things that others cannot. After the fire that destroyed this camp, Reckless had a vision of where our next home would be. It was the canyon where we were when the army finally found us. He has also seen our great grandfather on several occasions.”
Raven looked down at Zoe when he heard her breathing change and saw that she slept. He smiled and was content to sit still for a while longer, remembering the past and looking at the stars. The night grew chilly and Raven thought it best to move Zoe into the tipi. He picked her up and carefully carried her inside where he lay her down on his sleeping pallet and covered her.
Sparrow had provided a pile of kindling in the fire pit, so all Raven had to do was light a piece of it from the fire outside and transfer it back inside. Soon a nice fire burned in the tipi. Raven put out the fire outside and went back inside. He changed into his loincloth, his preferred sleepwear, and slipped under the buffalo hide blankets with Zoe. He smiled as he smoothed a piece of fire-hued hair back from her face and kissed her forehead. Settling on his back, Raven closed his eyes and let himself drift into slumber.
*****
A noise intruded on Zoe’s sleep. As she slowly came awake, she was disoriented. The lighting was dim, but she recognized that she was in a tipi. Then it came back to her. She was in Raven’s tipi. She must have fallen asleep and he’d brought her in there. Smiling to herself at his kindness, she registered the fact that she was laying up against something very warm.
Reaching out, she encountered Raven’s bare skin and was amazed at how warm he was. She cuddled closer and let her hand slide over his chest. Then she stilled it, not wanting to wake him.
“How do you breathe when you sleep like that?”
His voice made her jump. “What?”
“Every time I have seen you sleeping, you are completely covered, even your head. How do you not suffocate?” he asked.
She laughed and looked up at him. “I’ve always slept like that and I’m still alive.”
He smiled. “That’s good for me.”
“Me, too. You’re so warm.”
“Are you cold?”
“No. Not with you to curl up against.” She put an arm around him and laid her head on his chest. “I can’t believe you were once a baby.”
“That’s a strange thing to say.” He laughed.
She giggled and said, “I just mean, look how tall and everything you are. It’s hard to imagine that you were once small enough to hold in someone’s arms. I mean, can you imagine that of your father?”
Raven considered her question and he found that he couldn’t see that about his father. “You’re right. I cannot. I’ve never thought about it before.”
“See?”
“Yes, I see.”
“What time is it?” she asked.
He shrugged. “What does it matter?”
“Just curious.”
“White people worry too much about time,” he said.
“And Lakota people don’t?”
“When the sun comes up or perhaps a little before, it is time to go hunting. After that, it is time to cook what you bring back or you might eat what was left from supper the night before. Then the women do all sorts of things like clean, take care of the children, beadwork, making clothing; those sort of things. The men fix broken weapons, practice fighting, have target practice, take care of the horses and so forth. At night, after supper, we do much like we did last night; sit and visit and play games while the children play.”
“So that’s what you used to do before you started working for Joe?” she asked.
“Yes. And before being a deputy. I like both jobs, but I would rather go back to the way I used to live. That will never happen, though, so I have to move forward.”
Zoe rose up on an elbow and looked down at him. “Your old way of life sounds nice.”
“It could be very nice,” he said and rubbed her back. “The only time you had to rush around was when there was an emergency or you were on a raid.”
“You went on raids?”
“Yes. To steal ponies from our enemies, like the Pawnee,” Raven said with a fierce scowl. “We hate the Pawnees, and they hate us.”
“Why?”
“It started centuries ago and we have warred ever since,” he told her.
“Have you ever scalped anyone?” the question was out before she could stop it.
He smiled, not offended in the least. “Yes. We were attacked on the way here from our winter home by a warring band of Pawnee who wanted to take some of our ponies and our women. The Pawnee are not nice to their captives, and I was not about to let them take my sister. The man who tried found that out when I sent him to the life beyond this one. His scalp hung on our tipi for a long time.”
Zoe shuddered at the thought of someone’s scalp hanging on their tipi. “I guess he had it coming for trying to steal her.”
“Yes. Don’t worry, I don’t think that sort of thing will happen anymore,” Raven said and rubbed her back again.
Zoe smiled slightly. “My fierce warrior.”
He smiled back and turned on his side to face her. “Yes, I am yours.”
“And I’m yours. I love you,” she said looking into his dark eyes.
“I love you, Zoe.”
His lips touched hers softly while his hand moved down over her arm to settle on her side. When she sighed against his mouth, Raven took the opportunity to deepen the kiss and pressed her closer to him. She was soft and he liked her long curves. He couldn’t fathom why any man would mind that she was tall. Zoe buried her hands in his hair and Raven groaned as she kissed him harder.
He pulled her blouse from the waistband of her skirt and slipped a hand underneath of it to stroke the skin of her back. It felt like satin under his fingers and he slowly ended the kiss.
“Zoe?”
“Yes?”
“You are wearing too many clothes,” he said with a slightly lopsided smile.
She giggled and felt goose bumps break out across her skin as he slid his fingers down her spine. She gasped and said, “I guess I should do something about that.”
“Yes, we should, but only if you are sure,” Raven said.
“I’m sure,” she said and began unbuttoning her blouse with determined movements.
Raven chuckled and helped her undress. Her pale skin shone in the dim firelight and he thought he’d never seen anything so beautiful. As he had in her bedroom, Raven kissed her eyes, her nose, and her mouth, all the while speaking to her in Lakota.
Zoe may not have understood his words, but his meaning was clear. He looked her over and told her how much she pleased him, dispelling any self-consciousness. She’d never felt anything so magical, and she knew that he was right; after they made love, it was going to be hard to be apart. But for tonight, she concentrated only on him, and they became one in mind, body, and spirit.
Chapter Seventeen
Dear Mother,
I hope this letter finds you well. I have a lot to tell you. Dawson is a wonderful place, and I have made so many friends. I also found work playing banjo at the Watering Hole, the saloon in the area. Please don’t panic about that. Jake Henderson, one of the owners, runs a very nice establishment, and he doesn’t allow prostitutes or dancing girls. The m
ayor, Joe Dwyer, is Jake’s business partner, and he and the rest of the band entertain everyone. Everyone enjoys dancing and having a good time in general. I’m very well paid for playing, and it’s so much fun!
Mother, I have fallen love! Not with Will, however. It didn’t work out between us since we found we are better suited as friends than as spouses. He is a wonderful man, but I know I could never fall in love with him, and he feels the same way about me. The man who holds my heart is named Raven and he is a Lakota brave from the local tribe here in Dawson. You will love him. He is very tall and handsome, as well as intelligent and kind. Raven has a great sense of humor, too. He has asked me to marry him and I have accepted his proposal.
I can hear you in my head right now. He will be a very good provider for me and our family when we start one. He works two jobs; one as a deputy and also as a bouncer at the Watering Hole. He has a lot of family, both Lakota and white and is very well-loved by most in the community. We would like to be married as soon as possible. I have enclosed enough money to cover your travelling costs as well as food and lodging during the trip. I’ve also sent a separate paper outlining the best route for you to travel.
Please come as soon as possible and let me know when you will leave.
I love and miss you,
Zoe
Dana put the letter from her daughter down and fought the sense of panic that threated to overwhelm her. Her daughter was going to marry an Indian? How had that happened? She was working in a saloon? What kind of people were these with whom Zoe had become involved? Had they no decorum? Were they heathens?
She was trying not to be judgmental, but it was difficult. She looked at the check that Zoe had sent and saw that it was a sizeable amount. Zoe was not joking about being well paid. What did the people she was staying with have to say about all of this? Zoe wanted her to come right away and she would certainly make haste and travel forthwith so she could find out exactly what was going on. Dana sat down right away to answer her daughter and assure her that she would make arrangements quickly.