Brave Beginnings (21 page)

“What do you want to discuss?” Julia asked
as she set a pot of water on the range to boil.

Millicent pumped water and rinsed a plate
before setting it in the sink in front of Julia. Then she picked up
another plate to repeat the rinsing process.

“Millicent?” Julia asked as she reached for
the soap and washcloth.

Her cousin bit her lower lip and finished
rinsing another dish. “Please tell me the truth. Why are you
leaving?”

“Chogan’s been treated horribly here.
Haven’t you heard what job they gave him?”

“I don’t listen to gossip.”

Julia sighed. “This wasn’t gossip. It was
the truth. They knew he did a good job at the Tribune and gave him
the lowest job they could. They did it to insult him. I can’t let
it continue.”

“I feared that was the case,” Millicent
said. “And Ernest is the one who insisted this occur?”

“I don’t know the details, but he’s a part
of it.”

“Can no one stop this from happening? Must it
come to you and Chogan leaving?”

Noting that the water in the pot was
simmering, Julia pumped cool water into the sink and rolled up her
sleeves. “Chogan’s not happy, and how can he be? He had a prominent
position in his tribe. He was one of their best hunters. When he
worked at the Tribune, he was promoted. But Ernest wouldn’t let
Chogan advance and found a way to make sure that people would
ostracize Chogan.”

“This is because you married Chogan instead
of him?”

Julia shrugged and added the hot water to
the water in the sink. “I understand Ernest is upset that I didn’t
marry him, but I wonder if there’s more to it than that. He doesn’t
like Chogan. Part of it is that Chogan’s an Indian, but my gut
tells me there’s something else.”

“You don’t know what that something else
might be?” Millicent rinsed a plate and set it in Julia’s sink.

Julia rubbed the soap into her wet washcloth
and picked up the plate. “No.”

“Certainly Ernest can’t get away with this.
People must understand the unfairness of it?”

“If they understand, they aren’t doing
anything about it. No one wants to upset Ernest by standing up to
him.”

“I hope you’re wrong. I’d like to think that
someone has the courage to oppose injustice when they see it.”

Julia washed the plate and set it on the
dish rack to dry. “It would be nice if that were the case.”

Millicent smiled. “Conrad is not so
impressed with Ernest. Conrad is due to visit me tomorrow evening.
I can talk to him on behalf of Chogan. Ernest might know some
important people, but Conrad’s brother knows some who are just as
prominent.”

“No. I appreciate your thoughtfulness and
concern, Millicent, but this is for the best. I want to go to
Chogan’s tribe and live there.” She smiled at her cousin. “Chogan’s
a hunter. He was happy doing that, and I want him to be happy
again. Even if they offered him the job back at the Tribune, I
can’t ask him to stay.” Seeing him in the buffalo robe earlier that
day gave her a new perspective of her husband. “I rather fancy the
way he looks when he dresses in his Indian attire.”

Millicent nodded. “Then you must go to the
tribe. I shall miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too, but I can still
visit.”

“This is true. I look forward to when you
do, and maybe some time, I may venture out there to see you. It’d
be fascinating to see a tribe.”

Julia recalled the time she’d been there with
her aunt. “It’s different, that’s for sure. They do not insist on
fully dressing all the time. In fact, I’ve seen one of their
ceremonies where men wore nothing but undergarments.”

Millicent’s eyes grew wide and she stopped
rinsing a dish. “Oh, you didn’t!”

“It scared me. I’ve had to realize that
their ways are not ours. To them, this was proper given their
customs. The men do not always wear a shirt.”

“And they don’t think anything of it?”
Millicent seemed as baffled as she was intrigued.

“No, they don’t.”

“I suppose if you are used to it, it’s
normal.”

“You are ever the proper lady,” Julia
commented. “But I admit, I’m relieved that they dressed fully
attired most of the time. It was really just that one ceremony
where they weren’t.”

“That is a relief. Perhaps I ought to visit
when the weather is cold and they have to be fully dressed, to be
on the safe side.”

“It’s not a bad idea.”

Millicent resumed rinsing the dish before
she gave it to her. “It’s still a shame that things happened as
they did at the Tribune. Something should be done about it.”

Julia shrugged and washed a cup before
setting it on the dish rack. “It doesn’t concern me or Chogan
anymore. I just want to go to the tribe and live my life with him.
If I never have anything to do with Ernest again, it’ll be too
soon.”

“I can’t say I blame you on that note.” She
finished rinsing the last dish and gave Julia a hug. “Don’t be a
stranger?”

Julia let the washcloth and plate fall back
into her side of the sink so she could hug her back. “I won’t.” She
giggled. “This is hard to admit, but when I first met you, I
couldn’t fathom one thing we had in common. You’ve become a good
friend since then.” She pulled away from her and held onto her
hands. “I am very glad we met.”

“I’m glad we met too, and I confess I was
most terrified of coming over here when you first married
Chogan.”

“Yes, I picked up on that.”

“And I made a great effort to be brave.”

The two women laughed before they returned to
the dishes.

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

Julia’s hand tightened around Chogan’s as
the Mandan tribe came into view. This was it. The start of her new
life. Her stomach tensed in apprehension, and the swaying of the
stagecoach didn’t help. A part of her still couldn’t believe it was
happening, but she didn’t regret leaving Bismarck. She glanced at
Chogan and recalled the first time she saw him. Except for the
short hair and buffalo robe, he looked very much like he did back
then.

Chogan put his arm around her shoulders and
drew her close. “Stay with me, and you’ll be alright,” he
whispered, probably noting her nervousness.

“I shouldn’t be worried. I mean, my brother
and Woape are there. It’s not like I don’t know anyone but you.”
She took a deep breath and felt a little better.

“It is a different way of life.”

She glanced at her clothes and knew it was a
matter of time before she wore deerskin dresses like Woape did.
Just as Chogan embraced her world, she would now embrace his.

As the stagecoach got closer, someone came
out on horseback to greet them. It took her a good five seconds to
realize it was Gary. A wave of excitement replaced her fear.

“Is that part of his job here? To welcome
people?” she asked Chogan.

“Since we’re in a stagecoach, they assume
we’re white and don’t speak the language.”

“Well, they assume half of it right.” She was
glad she took the time to learn some words but realized it wouldn’t
be enough to understand everything. “I’m glad I have you with me. I
wouldn’t be able to do this without you.”

“You would. Your fiery spirit would embolden
you.”

The stagecoach came to a stop.

“I’ll go tell Gary we’re coming,” Chogan said
and got ready to open the door.

“I want to come,” she insisted.

He laughed. “See? You’d do just fine without
me.”

She gave him a playful shove. “Go on, silly.
I want to see the look on my brother’s face when he realizes I’m
coming here to live.”

He got out of the stagecoach and helped her
out. Her feet settled on the thin covering of snow. Pulling her
hood tighter around her head, she followed Chogan to where her
brother waited on his steed.

Gary’s eyes grew wide. “Julia? Chogan? What
are you doing here?”

“We decided to live here,” Julia called out.
“Are you going to hug your big sister or just sit there like a
statue?”

Grinning, Gary led his horse to them before
he slid off of it and gave her a big hug. “That’s my sister.
Barking out the orders.”

“Hey,” she lightly protested. “If you give
me a hard time, I’ll have my husband talk to you.”

Chogan put his arm around her waist and
smiled. “She’s right. Be good.”

“What about Aunt Erin?” Gary asked her.

“She’ll be coming later this year after she
sells the house.”

He nodded. “I didn’t think there was any way
the two of you would stay separated for long.”

Chogan gave her waist a playful squeeze and
told Gary, “Our things are in the stagecoach. We will be going to
my family’s lodge.”

Julia’s stomach fluttered at the thought of
seeing his family again. It’d been over a year since she last saw
them, and back then, she wasn’t their daughter-in-law.

“I’ll tell Woape you’re here,” Gary said and
then hopped back on his horse. “She’ll want to see you.”

At the mention of Woape’s name, Julia felt
much better. She was sure the transition would be easier since
Woape could teach her what Mandan women did. She wouldn’t have to
fumble through this alone.

“Tell her I look forward to seeing her and
Penelope,” Julia said before she joined Chogan back in the
stagecoach. She sat beside him and rubbed her hands together. She
took a deep breath and forced a brave smile. “What will your family
think?”

“They knew I didn’t want to marry any of the
women in the tribe, so they will be happy I found you.”

The stagecoach lurched forward so she held
onto his arm. “Will they mind that I’m not Mandan?”

“No. My grandmother advised me to follow my
heart. My mother and aunts would agree.”

“You have no males in your lodge?”

“A couple of uncles, but they’re not good
hunters.”

“Because you didn’t teach them?” she teased,
her eyes twinkling. “You’re a good teacher.”

“You say that because you love me.”

“No. I mean it. You were patient, and when I
was ready to quit, you refused to give up on me.”

“I had a plan,” he whispered, leaning closer
to her. “It allowed me to be with you without your aunt right
there.”

She gasped. “So you didn’t really want to
teach me how to hunt?”

“I was hunting you.” He kissed her cheek.

“And here I assumed you thought I could
hunt.” She shook her head but was unable to hide her amusement. The
truth was, she was flattered. Turning to face him, she asked, “Did
you ever take any other woman hunting?”

“No. You were the only one.”

“So there were no other women in the tribe
who appealed to you at all?”

“Nope.” He kissed her. “You are the only
woman for me.”

Her face flushed with pleasure. “You’re the
only one for me too, Chogan.”

“I know, and I like that.” He kissed her.

She snuggled closer to him and returned his
kiss, enjoying this peaceful moment before the flurry of activity
that would likely ensue from their arrival at the lodge where he
grew up. He’d told her about his upbringing. Part of her felt as if
she already knew his family, but she realized she had much to
learn.

He pulled a few inches away from her and
whispered, “Thank you for coming here.”

“I’d do anything for you,” she confessed.

“I know, and I love you for that.” Cupping
the side of her face with one hand, he kissed her again, this time
letting his lips linger on hers. “You are the best wife a man could
ask for.”

“Other husbands may disagree with you on
that,” she teased with a slight chuckle.

“Other husbands don’t know better. They don’t
have you.”

She laughed harder and hugged him. “Then
it’s good I am yours.”

“It is good.”

The stagecoach pulled through the entrance of
the Mandan village and Gary led the driver to where Chogan’s family
lived.

She took a look out the window and saw the
snow covered mound. The interior of the earth mound was hollow to
provide shelter for Chogan’s family. This was her new home. It was
vastly different from the wood house she and her aunt lived in, but
even as she noted the differences, she realized that beneath her
nervousness was a sense of adventure. Sure, she’d been here before,
but her focus had been on her brother and Woape, and she knew her
stay would only be a visit. Now, she’d be living here.

The stagecoach stopped, and Chogan asked,
“Are you ready?”

She took another deep breath and nodded. “I
think so.”

“I won’t leave you until you’re settled
in.”

“Is this before or after we go hunting
alone?”

“After.” He gave her a wicked smile and
squeezed her hand. “We have to hunt for a good dress for you.”

“You are much too happy about going out to
find women’s clothing. This wouldn’t have anything to do with being
alone in a teepee with me, would it?”

He shrugged. “Maybe a little. Come. I see
people are already gathering around to welcome us.”

Still holding her hand, he led her out of the
stagecoach where, sure enough, a group of Indians surrounded them
while Gary explained what was going on.

“My brother takes his job seriously, doesn’t
he?” she whispered to Chogan who grinned.

“He’s enthusiastic,” Chogan replied. “Plus,
he knows we’ll kick him out of here if he’s not useful.”

Julia laughed at the imagery his words
brought to mind. She let go of his hand so he could turn to the
stagecoach and gather their belongings.

Woape broke through the crowd so she could
hug Julia. “What made you decide to live here? I thought Chogan was
happy at the printing press.”

“I’ll explain later,” Julia promised. “It’s a
long and complicated story.”

“You two are obviously happy, so that is
what matters. Did your aunt come with you?”

“Not yet. She needs to settle some matters
back in Bismarck first.” Julia glanced around the group of people.
“Where’s my niece?”