Brave Beginnings (15 page)

“Doesn’t it bother you?”

He hesitated for a minute, and her eyebrows
furrowed. “I got used to it,” he finally said. “It did bother me at
first. But I like being with you. You have made it good.”

“Is it getting any better?”

“I do not notice it as much. Maybe. Or maybe
I don’t notice it. I know they treat me good at work.”

She sighed, unsure of whether that made her
feel better or not. She hated knowing he had to put up with it at
all. It wasn’t fair, and short of going up to everyone and telling
them that what they assumed about him was wrong, there wasn’t
anything she could do. Besides, he was right. She could tell
everyone what he was really like, but if they had their minds made
up, she’d be wasting her breath. She recalled how her aunt tried to
convince her that Woape was a good wife for her brother, but until
she came to that conclusion herself, no amount of late night talks
with her aunt did any good.

“Maybe being here is a mistake,” she softly
said. “I had no idea it would be this way.”

“Would you rather have married the white
man?”

“No! Of course not! That’s not what I meant.
It just hurts to know that someone you love has to put up with this
sort of thing, that’s all. Maybe I should have gone to live with
you, at your tribe. Gary is there. He hasn’t said he faces the
stigma you do.”

“I have a good job. This is a good choice.”
He placed an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to
him.

She rested her head on his shoulder and
closed her eyes. “Why does the world have to get in the way? I’d be
happy if it was just you and me.”

He kissed the top of her head. “We live with
others, be it tribe or town. I have no complaints. I am happy. You
can be happy too.”

“I don’t know.”

“I do not regret marrying you. I love you and
want to spend the rest of my life with you. I was not happy back in
the tribe without you.”

“I love you too,” she whispered.

“I know. And that is enough.”

Was it? As much as she wanted to believe it,
she wondered. But maybe, just for today, it was true. And maybe,
just for today, it was enough.

***

Shortly after New Year’s Day, Chogan
delivered his papers and reported to the Tribune. He promptly sat
in front of the potbelly stove which was as much a part of his
routine as his newfound need to drink coffee to help him wake up in
the mornings. The progression of picking up the white man’s habits
came gradually and, for the most part, went unnoticed. He no longer
felt uncomfortable in their clothes, and he didn’t mind wearing a
hat whenever he left the house. He even found a certain degree of
enjoyment at work.

One thing, however, failed to find any
resolution in his new life, and that something was Noah. And this
particular day was no exception.

Noah entered the room and stood by the stove,
intentionally leaving a wide gap between them. He had ceased to
make an effort at small talk when it became clear to both of them
that Mike had no intention of teaching Noah how to work the
printing press.

This was fine with Chogan. He didn’t care
much for a youth who found too much pleasure in drinking alcohol
late through the night and coming to work on a hangover—often late
and having dropped the papers at the wrong residence as he rushed
through his work. Such behavior would not have been tolerated in
the tribe, and the best Noah could ever hope for was to bring water
to the hunters when they searched for buffalo. But even then, he’d
most likely slack off on the job.

A good minute passed before their supervisor
walked over to them. “Good. You’re here early.”

Since his gaze was focused on Chogan, there
was no question on who he meant, so Chogan directed his full
attention to him. “Yes, sir?”

“Mike had a family emergency and we need an
extra hand in the printing room. For the next three days, you’ll be
at the printing press. I’ll find a temp to take over your route.”
Their supervisor turned to Noah. “Get danishes instead of donuts
this morning.” He turned back to Chogan. “Go on over to the
printing room.”

Chogan watched, partly shocked and partly
overjoyed, as their supervisor retreated back to his office. He’d
assisted many times at the press, but this was a move up.

Noah didn’t say anything as he buttoned his
coat, but he stepped forward and shot Chogan a scathing look.

Chogan frowned and straightened, deciding to
meet the silent challenge in Noah’s eyes.

Noah’s eyes widened and he scurried out of
Chogan’s way.

There. Maybe that would stop Noah from
harassing him. Chogan waited until Noah left the building before he
went to the printing room. He didn’t dare turn his back on Noah. He
doubted Noah would confront him, but one never knew what someone
like Noah would do.

Relaxing after what could have been a nasty
confrontation, Chogan proceeded to the room, deciding he wouldn’t
eat or drink anything Noah brought back.

***

Julia let out a melancholy sigh as she
finished making the sandwiches.

Erin glanced up from the coffee she was
pouring into the cups. “You might as well spill it. I can tell
something’s bothering you, and whatever it is, you need to get it
off your chest.”

She shrugged as she placed the sandwiches on
their respective plates. “It’s nothing.”

“Nothing? You’ve been moping for the past
week. Did someone say something bad about Chogan again?”

“No.”

“Then what is it?”

Julia’s cheeks grew warm as she debated
whether or not to talk to her aunt. She never kept anything from
Erin before, and though this wasn’t a pressing issue, it did bother
her. Setting three plates on the table, she said, “Everything is so
easy for Gary.”

“Oh no. Please don’t tell me you’re upset
with him again.”

“I’m not upset. I just can’t help but notice
that things magically fall into his lap. Why, as soon as he got
married, Woape was with child, and now she’s expecting again. One
would swear all he has to do is glance in her direction and she
gets pregnant.”

Her aunt laughed. “Oh, be serious,
Julia.”

A smile tugged at her lips. “Fine. It’s not
as simple as that, but he didn’t even have to try that long. Just
like he didn’t have to wait for years to get married. Woape
practically fell into his lap. He happened to be traveling and
there she was.”

“You could have married sooner too.”

“Ernest wasn’t the right one. He doesn’t
count. The point is, Woape was the right one for Gary.”

“I know what you mean.” Erin placed the
coffee pot in the center of the table next to the cup of sugar.
“You can’t compare yourself to Gary. Things happen for him as they
are meant to, and things will happen for you as they are meant to.
I know you’ve wanted to be a mother ever since you were a girl, but
Julia, you haven’t been married for long.”

“I know. It’s just hard to wait, that’s
all.”

“When was the last time you had your
flow?”

“Last week, so I’m not expecting.” Julia took
a deep breath and returned to the bowl of potato salad so she could
take it to the table. “These things might have their timing, but
I’ve never been a patient person.”

“Well, maybe this will teach you how to
wait.”

Julia grimaced. As if waiting for Chogan to
enter her life hadn’t been long enough!

Her aunt chuckled and patted her arm. “I
know. Easier said than done. And unfortunately, there’s nothing I
can do about that.”

The front door opened so Julia quickly
finished putting out the utensils and laying them by the plates.
Then she took off her apron and ran to the entryway where she gave
Chogan a hug and kiss to welcome him home.

He smiled. “My day keeps getting better and
better.”

“Really? Did something good happen at work?”
she asked as she took his coat and went to the closet to hang it
up.

“I have to go back after lunch,” he said.
“Don’t hang it up.”

“You’re going back to work? Why?”

“Mike had to take a couple of days off work,
and—”

Then he reverted to his native tongue, so she
had no idea what he was saying. It wasn’t that she wasn’t learning
to speak Mandan, but there was no way she could make out anything
over the rush of words he threw at her. Seeing that he was excited,
she laughed and shook her head. “You have to speak English. You
know I’m struggling to learn your language.”

He paused and grinned. Then he purposely said
something in his native tongue.

Her eyebrows furrowed and she smoothed the
coat that was draped over her arm. “I’m going to assume you just
paid me a compliment.”

Chuckling, he removed his hat and set it on
the small table in the entryway. “I did.”

Before she had time to blink, he reached out,
grabbed her around the waist, and pulled her close to him. She
shrieked with delight as he sprinkled kisses on her neck.

“I’ll show you in bed tonight,” he whispered.
“Then you will know what I said.”

She giggled and playfully shoved him away.
“Save that for the bedroom.”

“I said we would be in bed,” he replied, his
eyes wide. “I’m being good.”

Blushing, she motioned to the coat. “So why
am I not hanging this up? What happened to Mike?”

“He can’t come to work until later this week.
I will do his job.”

She gasped. “Oh, Chogan? Really?”

He nodded. “I will not deliver papers for
awhile. So I will go to work later and come home later.”

“You’ll be in charge of the printing press
and everything?”

“I will do everything Mike does.”

“That’s great!”

“It is good news,” he admitted and followed
her to the parlor where she placed his coat on the back of a chair.
“I will be paid more for it too.”

“I’m glad you work at the Tribune. They’re
good to you there.”

“They are. Anthony was nice to put in a good
word for me.”

“He was. I suppose we should visit him and
his family again sometime. They’re nice people.”

“Yes, they are.”

Erin came out of the kitchen and called out,
“You’re not going to get much eating done standing around in the
parlor.”

“Oh, we better start on lunch so you can get
back to work.” Julia took his hand and led him to the kitchen. When
they passed her aunt who waited for them by the door, Julia told
her, “Chogan has to get back to work. He’s in charge of the
printing press for the next couple of days.”

“Why, that’s wonderful,” Erin told Chogan.
“And you haven’t even been working there that long. It looks like
they know a hard worker when they see one.” She patted Julia on the
shoulder. “Everything works out when the time is right.”

Understanding her aunt’s hidden meaning,
Julia nodded. Maybe, with any luck, the next good news in the
household would be the announcement that a baby was on the way.

~~********~~

At the end of the week, Chogan was on his way
to the Tribune when he happened to see Ernest and Noah talking by
the bank. His first thought was to cross the street so he didn’t
have to pass by either man, but then he reminded himself that he
had no reason to go out of his way to avoid them. But as he neared,
he realized that his steps slowed in hesitation.

They laughed and Ernest pointed in the
direction down the street, leaving their backs turned to Chogan at
the moment. Chogan shouldn’t have been surprised the two knew each
other. Bismarck wasn’t that big, after all, but it wasn’t exactly
the ideal setup. Ernest had his gripes about Chogan because of
Julia, and for the past few days, Noah made no secret as to how he
felt about him. Even though Noah never said anything directly to
Chogan, Noah glared at him often, especially whenever he passed by
Chogan as he was working the printing press.

Chogan couldn’t recall a time when anyone
annoyed him as much as those two. Even Citlali at his worst wasn’t
as bad.

Ernest and Noah turned around just as Chogan
was six feet away from them. They immediately stopped talking and
stared at him.

Up to now, Chogan had ignored such stares,
usually given by people he didn’t know, and at this point, he even
learned to not think about it. But did he want to put up with this
kind of thing from those particular two men?

The answer was simple: no, he didn’t.

He looked in their direction and stilled his
steps.

Ernest made it a point to look him up and
down with a look of mild amusement on his face. “Don’t you have
somewhere you need to be?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” Chogan
said, refusing to be intimidated by him.

“You’d do well to remember who you’re talking
to,” Ernest replied.

“You could learn some respect,” Noah added,
which made Ernest smirk at Chogan.

“You earn respect by how you treat others,”
Chogan said.

Ernest narrowed his eyes at him. “Isn’t that
a case of the pot calling the kettle black?”

It took Chogan a moment to understand what
Ernest meant. “Julia is a free woman. She made her choice.”

“As bad as it was.”

He shrugged. “She isn’t complaining.”

“The poor thing lost her wits while she went
searching for her brother,” Ernest said. “I can’t fault her. She is
just a woman.”

His frown deepened and he walked toward
Ernest who immediately backed up. “I don’t care what your job is.
You will not talk about Julia like that.”

“I said it’s not her fault. You’re the one
who filled her head with ideas.”

“In my culture, the man does not begrudge a
woman when she chooses a husband.”

“We’re not in your culture, are we?” Noah
retorted.

“Don’t mind him,” Ernest told Noah. “Savages
probably share their women like they share their teepees.”