Sunflower

by Jill Marie Landis

  “I have Red Dog’s word on it, Captain,” Caleb assured him.

  The captain looked skeptical as he scanned the shoreline for any sign of a greeting party. He pushed his cap back off his forehead with a thumb and looked at the departing passengers.

  “Still,” he began again, “you can’t trust the word of a savage ...” His last words died to a whisper that was carried away on the breeze,

  At least, Analisa thought, the man had the grace to blush with embarrassment. Word had spread along the river like a prairie fire, traveling from one fort to the next, of the undercover BIA man who had lived in their midst masquerading as a Spanish professor. In a few short weeks Caleb had been elevated through such gossip to a position that rivaled that of President Grant. Still, Analisa noticed that even though most people treated him with courtesy, the warmth of sincerity failed to spark a light in many eyes. He was still an Indian. A red man. A Sioux. A savage. Still, she never thought of him as anything but Caleb until a bigoted remark like the captain’s reminded her of how he was so unjustly regarded.

  There was an awkward silence as the deckhand awaited the command to depart and the captain stood in silent embarrassment.

  “Thank you for your hospitality, Captain,” Analisa volunteered and smiled up at him to fill the void. Caleb pulled Kase onto his lap, nodding his thanks to his wife for combating the remark with kindness rather than with a vicious retort. He’d learned to live with such unconscious cruelty, but was sorry that Analisa and Kase would always be subjected to them as well.

  The small skiff moved away from the Deer Lodge, thrusting forward with each pull of the oars. Kase, oblivious of the captain’s remark, waved gaily to the passengers who lined the rail to watch their departure. Caleb was once again reassured, happy with his decision to bring Analisa and Kase along for the peace talks. He hoped the meeting would see the matter of her sister settled as well.

  During the weeks of his recovery, messengers from the renegade camp had frequently arrived carrying information concerning Red Dog’s demands, and had returned with Caleb’s replies. The main points of the treaty were refined in this manner until all that remained was the official signing ceremony. Both men had agreed not to include army officials, for Caleb was entrusted with the government agency’s power to sign the agreement. Major Williamson had questioned the arrangements, but the matter was ultimately left to Caleb’s discretion.

  Caleb had sent word to Red Dog that, as a sign of his great faith, he would bring his wife and son along to the festivities and accept Red Dog’s offer of hospitality. Caleb chose to make no mention of Meika, although he knew that Red Dog was probably aware of his reason for bringing his wife along.

  Dealing with the Sioux was a game of cat and mouse that Caleb understood well, far better than any white man ever could. He knew that the Sioux looked upon certain questions as rude, and that some subjects could never be mentioned at all. He knew that Red Dog, after seeing Analisa with him on the day of Hardy’s arrest, was well aware that the white woman who had crawled into the camp to speak to Swift Otter’s wife was Caleb’s woman. Caleb wondered if Meika would make any effort at all to speak to her sister while she was in the settlement, and knew that only time would answer his questions.

  “I hope I can remember everything you told me.” Analisa fretted with the ties of her shoes as she made final preparations to leave the tepee.

  “Just watch me, and if you are in doubt, don’t do anything until I give you a signal.” He pulled her close and planted a sure, swift kiss on her lips.

  The shadowed interior of the tepee was warm even though it was not yet midday. Analisa smoothed her skirt and then reached up to be sure her hair was still neatly combed and bound in a knot upon her head. She fought the few stray wisps that had escaped the pins and worried her lower lip with her teeth.

  “Relax as much as you can, Anja. It will all be over soon.”

  “But what will be the outcome, Caleb?” Her eyes were haunted as she looked up at him, and he tried to smile in return.

  “The outcome,” he began, “will be for the best.”

  “She is not your sister.”

  “No, but she is my wife’s sister, and so I do care what happens today. Try not to get yourself worked up into a fighting state; it will do no good.”

  She sighed and moved toward the opening of the tepee. It was finally time for her to meet with Meika and try to persuade the girl to return to Fort Sully with them.

  Three days she’d waited for this moment, and now that it had finally come, Analisa was not certain her legs would carry her to Red Dog’s tepee for the meeting. Her heart pounded and her mouth was dry. She hesitated, waiting for Caleb to step outside and then followed a few steps behind him as was the custom of the people here.

  The peace council between Red Dog and Caleb had gone successfully; the treaty was signed and ready to be delivered to Washington. Feasting for all had followed the day-long discussions attended only by the men. Before their arrival at the camp, Caleb taught Analisa many Sioux customs of propriety and good manners, but she realized it would take many weeks of living among the people before the customs became habit.

  Finally the time had come for her to see her sister, a meeting agreed on by Red Dog and Meika’s husband, Swift Otter, after Caleb had first asked permission for Analisa to speak to her sister alone. Instead, Red Dog had chosen to officiate and had offered his own tepee for the meeting. The entire village was alive with the news, and although Analisa could not understand the words of the people who watched them pass by on their way to Red Dog’s tepee, she could feel the excitement in the air.

  Kase tripped along beside them, having joined his mother and stepfather as they wound their way through the village that bordered the stream. He had been free to run and play at will, following the custom of the Sioux, who raised their children with freedom and loving words rather than with harsh punishment and admonitions. The boy had abandoned his clothes in exchange for a loincloth presented to him by one of his numerous new acquaintances. He joined readily in the rough-and-tumble games with the other boys, and although younger than most of them, seemed to enjoy himself thoroughly.

  As they neared their destination, the old widow who’d cooked for Caleb separated herself from the crowd and approached them. Caleb greeted her kindly and stooped to hear her rasping words. She reached out a gnarled finger and pointed toward Kase, shaking her head and staring at the little boy who was oblivious of her actions. “Red Dog’s Shadow,” she whispered over arid over, staring first at the boy and then at Caleb. He listened uneasily to the quiet whispers of the people who lined the route, all speculating on the old crone’s words, and was thankful Analisa could not understand them. The women were chattering among themselves, and more than a few times he heard them refer to Kase as Red Dog’s Shadow. It tore at Caleb’s soul to think that Kase so resembled Red Dog as a child.

  Caleb was thankful that he had not been aware of the likeness before the peace council began, for he doubted that he could have shared a mat with the young warrior and carried out his mission, knowing as he knew now with only a shadow of a doubt, that Red Dog had fathered Kase.

  How was he to sit placidly across from the man and translate the coming proceedings to Analisa, knowing full well the man who had once brutally violated her and nearly ended her life sat across from them? Caleb’s mind was in bitter turmoil, his heart heavy as they reached the tepee of Red Dog.

  The flap was open, a sign that they were free to enter without first seeking admittance.

  “Oh, Caleb.” Analisa stopped him with a hand on his sleeve. “I’m so nervous.”

  He stared at her silently, wanting for all the world to tell her to turn around and give up this whole scheme, to leave the camp with Kase in tow, before he lost control of his senses and harmed the very man he had come to befriend. Instead, he choked down his hatred and hid it behind the unreadable, closed expression he’d learned to affect so well.

  “You will d
o just fine. Remember not to beg your sister to return. It will only shame her if she refuses you.”

  “I will remember.” She nodded and then looked down to check her appearance one last time. She wished her dress were freshly pressed and clean as it had been when they arrived. The past three days had taken a toll on her clothing, but this was the best of the lot, and she’d been determined to put on her finery to honor the Sioux. Now, in her nervousness, nothing seemed fitting.

  Taking a deep breath, she followed her husband into the tepee and immediately moved to the left of the door to sit with the other women on the south side of the room. Caleb entered and walked to the right, as custom demanded. The men were seated opposite the women. It was a moment or two before Analisa recognized her sister in the muted light; she was tempted to speak to her but remembered her manners and remained silent, awaiting Caleb’s signal. Unlike Meika, though, Analisa was unable to sit with her eyes downcast and could not bring herself to look away from her sister.

  Meika was dressed in a beautiful garment made of white skins and covered with beads and quillwork the likes of which Analisa had never seen. Before her lay a pile of goods on a fine, thick pelt. Behind and beside Meika sat her husband’s relations, many openly staring at Analisa. Had it not been for her sister’s shining blue eyes and white hair, Analisa would not have recognized her as being any diflferent from the others. Mia was also seated among the other women, but she was as close to Red Dog as custom would permit.

  Red Dog began to speak, and Analisa’s attention was drawn in his direction. It was then that she noticed Caleb’s dark expression. Something was very wrong. She listened to the incomprehensible exchange with trepidation. The men spoke together for a time, ignoring the women and the reason for the meeting. Swift Otter, Meika’s husband, remained silent, his eyes slowly moving from his wife to her sister. Analisa caught his stare once and was forced to drop her eyes under the burning intensity of his gaze.

  “Analisa, if you wish to speak to your sister, now is the time.”

  At the sound of her husband’s hushed voice addressing her in English, she was so startled that she sat bolt upright and blinked twice before she realized what he’d said.

  “Ja.” She cleared her throat. “Yes.”

  Analisa turned to Meika and asked in Dutch if she was happy here with her new family. It tore at her heart to say the words, but it hurt worse to realize that her sister seemed to understand little, if anything, of what she said. Caleb had warned her that since Meika had come to accept her place among the Sioux, that the girl would most likely refuse to speak Dutch, preferring to use her adopted language out of loyalty to her new family. Meika turned to Caleb, her eyes wide and questioning. He repeated the words in Sioux.

  “She says she is more than happy here and that she has a good family, a family of wealth who treat her as a daughter of their hearts.” Caleb stopped translating long enough to listen to Meika’s soft, halting speech. “She says that her husband, Swift Otter, is most kind and generous.” Then he gently reminded Analisa to speak first to him in English.

  “Is she so happy that she will not consider returning to her old life.” Despite what Caleb had instructed her to do, Analisa asked Meika in Dutch and twisted her hands together in her lap to stop their shaking. She then told Caleb what she’d asked, and he translated. Before her sister answered, Analisa knew in her heart what the answer would be.

  “I have no other life. These are my people. This is my home.”

  Meika stared down at the pile of goods before her as Caleb translated her words to Analisa.

  Can she not face me? Analisa wondered. Is she being forced into this?

  Meika did not ask about their mother, father, Jan, or Opa. She asked Analisa nothing at all.

  Analisa stopped speaking directly to her sister in Dutch and tried to see Caleb through the tears in her eyes.

  “Ask her if she knows where Pieter is.”

  At the sound of their brother’s name, Meika looked up and waited for Caleb to ask the question.

  “He is with a band of Sans Arc Sioux. He is becoming a skilled hunter and warrior. She says he has forgotten all of the old ways.”

  Analisa sat in silence. Dizziness assailed her in the close, crowded space inside the huge tepee. The scent of sage filled the air, burning slowly as an offering to Wakan Tanka, the Great Mystery. The smoke served to purify the air and carry their thoughts heavenward. She knew now that what Caleb had warned her of was true: Her sister was lost to her, the shining, golden-haired girl who had been her closest companion in her youth. A stranger now, Meika would never again be a part of Analisa’s life. Pieter was lost to her as well. All that Analisa retained of the old life was a fading photograph and the memories locked in her heart.

  “Anja? Do you want to ask her any more questions?” Caleb’s voice was gentle now. He knew her pain.

  She straightened her shoulders before she faced her sister once again. “Does she need anything? Is there anything I can do for her, or her ... family?”

  Caleb hesitated before he repeated the younger girl’s reply to Analisa.

  “What did she say?” Analisa pressed him to repeat the words.

  “She needs nothing from you. She said to take the whites away with you. Go back across the wide sea to the land you came from and leave the Sioux to live in peace once more.”

  Analisa bowed her head and stared at her hands clenched tightly against her skirt. She blinked back tears and then searched the faces in the room. Surprisingly, many looked upon her with compassion. Even Meika seemed to regret having caused her such pain. She straightened again and then searched the room for Kase. He sat with three other children near the door, all silent as they watched the exchange. Analisa signaled for him to come to her. Custom could be damned, she decided. She wanted Meika to see her nephew.

  When Kase crawled into his mother’s lap, she stroked his hair and then pointed to the blond girl across the room. “That is my own sister, Kase,” she whispered in his ear. “She is your tante, aunt.” Then she directed Caleb to explain to Meika. “Say that this is my son, her nephew. His name is Kase. Tell her I hope that her sons will be as strong and as brave as mine. Tell her that I will never go back across the sea, but that I hope we will be able to live in peace.”

  Caleb did as she asked, his heart heavy with his wife’s sadness. He felt his own anger toward Red Dog ebb as the minutes passed. As he stared at the younger man, his mind churning with unwanted visions of Analisa’s defilement, he realized suddenly that Red Dog could not have been much older than Analisa at the time of the rape. The warrior would have been a youth of no more than seventeen summers when he participated in the attack on the Van Meeteren family. Even now, as a man, Red Dog was hard-pressed to subdue his temper. What must he have been like in his youth? Caleb would never forgive the man his act, but he sought to understand the circumstances.

  For the first time Caleb realized what it must have cost Analisa to forgive Mia after she shot him. He wrestled with his emotions, trying to find as much compassion and understanding in order to forgive Red Dog’s violation of Analisa. It was time the past was laid to rest once and for all. He was reminded of Ruth’s simple philosophy: Everything happens for a reason. Surely he would have never met and married Analisa had she been living a placid life in the Dutch settlement. Surely Wakan Tanka, the Great Mystery, was behind this web that formed the pattern of their lives.

  Meika’s relatives shifted uncomfortably in the tense atmosphere, and Caleb realized it was time to draw the discussion to a close. In the Sioux custom, no sign was needed from their host. When it was time for guests to leave, they merely stood and announced, “I am going.” Caleb was prepared to leave. He glanced at Red Dog. The sight of the young chief staring pointedly at Kase with obvious speculation forced Caleb to watch as icy cold fingers of fear closed around his heart. Never once by word or deed had Red Dog so much as hinted that he recognized Analisa. Indeed, he might not have known who she was, or reme
mbered his part in the massacre. Thankfully, Analisa still had no recollection of the man who had raped her. But now, as Red Dog stared at the boy, Caleb felt his own scalp prickle. He acted quickly to remove his wife and son from the tepee.

  “Go now, Analisa. Take Kase with you.”

  She stood to do his bidding, and Caleb was forced to endure another wait while Meika spoke to him in Sioux. She had gifts to present to this sister of her old life; she indicated the beaded household items on the rug before her. Caleb nodded and informed Analisa, who took her place once again on the mat while the younger girl carefully tied up the gifts in the beautiful wolf-skin pelt.

  “Thank her for me, Caleb.”

  “I will. You go now. Take Kase.”

  Analisa stooped to leave the tepee, clutching her sister’s gifts in her arms. Kase ran out behind her, but not before bestowing a sparkling smile upon Caleb that chilled him to the bone. He knew that Red Dog watched the exchange and held his breath. He stood to leave behind his wife and the boy.

  “Wait,” Red Dog commanded and waved the others away. Swift Otter and his family then filed out, leaving Caleb alone with the other man.

  Caleb sat, determined to say only enough to be polite. He counted each breath as he sought to ease the tension within him. Red Dog stared at Caleb and neither man looked away from the other.

  “The boy is your son?” Red Dog spoke first.

  Caleb alone knew why Red Dog dared ask such a personal, offensive question.

  “Yes.” Caleb’s voice never wavered with the lie.

  The silence between them was as charged as summer lightning. Finally, Red Dog commented, forced to speak, as the exchange was held at his demand. “He is well cared for. A fine strong boy.”

  Caleb did not hesitate to respond to the compliment. “I am pleased with him.”

  For a moment a flicker of doubt flashed behind Red Dog’s eyes. To call Caleb a liar, to claim the boy as his own would have serious, far-reaching repercussions. Without proof, Red Dog was forced to back down. In that moment, Caleb knew he had won.