Mason wraps up, “As a member of the board of trustees and as one who personally witnessed the bravery of all our volunteers, it’s my pleasure to accept this generous gift from The Black Bear Company.”
I watch Gus take the cover off the statue. It looks bigger in front of North Star College’s administration building than when I first saw it in the studio of the Minneapolis artist we commissioned to make it. The autumn sun makes the bronze statue of a young girl sitting behind a school desk reading a book, glow.
Mia moves behind the podium. “I’d like Mr. and Mrs. Quinn and all the volunteers who made that trip to join me in front of the statue.”
We all stand, looking at it. “Mrs. Quinn, could you please read the inscription,” says Mia, handing her the microphone. She takes it but is too choked up to talk and gives it to Levi’s dad. He reads: In memory of Levi Quinn who sacrificed his short life so that others could learn and grow.
Back on the platform, I watch Mia stride across the stage, stand straight, and show the audience a smile that could be used in a teeth-whitening advertisement. “We all worked too hard to build the addition to The North Star Girl’s School to leave it in shambles. On behalf of all the volunteers who made the trip, and most of all, for the Nigerian students who we all grew to love, Black Bear Company is pleased to present this check to Headmistress Rita Cfkawe to cover the cost of rebuilding.”
Rita comes to the front, takes the check, gives Mia a hug and says, “Thank you for helping unleash the potential of the bright, talented girls our country so badly needs.” She starts for her chair, then turns and gives me a hug too. “I asked you to bring back my girls and you did. You’re my hero,” she whispers.
She can’t make it back to her chair because all the spring break volunteers rush the stage and try to embrace her at once. The reporters and TV camera crews join the crowd and its five minutes before I get my chance to speak.
“The Black Bear Company also wants to announce the formation of the Levi Quinn Scholarship. It will be awarded each year to cover tuition, books, and living expenses for a deserving Nigerian student to attend North Star College for four years. The scholarship committee has selected the first recipient who has already enrolled. That student is Mr. Timothy Adowu. In honor of this special event we have, what I think will be a surprise to Mr. Adowu, two special guests to present the scholarship certificate. We didn’t fly them first class with Headmistress Cfkawe, but they were happy to sit in the back of the same plane. At this time, I’d like to ask Mr. Augustus Black Bear to escort Timothy’s two brothers, Benjamin and Jethro Adowu, to the stage.”
Gus leads them to the stage from inside the building where he’s kept them out of sight. Tim races to the stage, skips the steps, leaps up, and hugs his brothers. Ben’s too emotional to give him the certificate so Jethro does it. He’s not much for speeches. “Here it is,” he says.
Tim takes the certificate and says to the crowd, “I’m overwhelmed. My brothers are my only family and I didn’t know if I’d ever see them again.” He holds up the certificate. “This changes my life. The only word I can think of is one I learned from the person who made that change possible: Wow”
* * *
We have a post-award celebration at my new house. I look through the living room window, across the leaf strewn front lawn, down the hill and see a row of, what I used to think of as East Side mansions—now they’re my neighbors. I watch my mom cross the floor in her new wheelchair, pushed by our live-in housekeeper. She isn’t nervous and greets each guest without stuttering or slurring her words. She’s not embarrassed about who she is and neither am I anymore.
“Let’s see the tats,” shouts Sophie.
Mia and I stand side-by-side and roll up our sleeves. The tattoo artist in Duluth wasn’t cheap, but we got what we paid for: two identical Yin-Yang circles.
Andy and Tim are having a private conversation. I butt in. “You two look serious I’ve got a serious question.”
“That would be a first,” says Tim.
“Okay, give it a try but don’t get mad if we give you a serious answer,” says Andy.
“When you were locked in Jeffrey’s death cage, Levi came down—talked to both of you—remember?”
“I’ll never forget,” says Andy.
“Until the day I die,” says Tim.
“What I want to know is what he said to you.”
They look at each other for so long, I’m not sure I’ll get an answer. Finally, Andy says, “He said she was sorry for making trouble about you, said—”
“You were too good for him—,” says Tim.
“Said you didn’t know what you wanted,” says Andy.
“That’s it? That’s all?
They look at each other again before Andy says very slowly, “No, he said . . . more.”
“He told us there were two halves of you and neither one of us could satisfy both,” says Tim.
“Said he wasn’t going to live through it, but if we did, one of us was going to be hurt and you’d be disappointed either way,” continues Andy.
It’s my turn to be quiet. Eventually I say, “You think he was right?”
I don’t get an answer. We stand in a triangle and look at each other for what seems a very long time. Then, we walk away, each in a separate direction.
Jack gestures to me. He’s with Ben—a match made in heaven. “Ben is thinking of staying around a while. I’m going to take him to the reservation, show him the used car business.”
“Ben, you’re welcome to stay, I can get you an honest job the lumber yard. Maybe pull some strings and get Jethro in school. If you hang out too long with my brother, you’ll get deported.”
“We always appreciate good advice,” says Jack, smiling. “One thing I notice, this guy wears a Rolex like the one I gave you.”
“Fake Rolex,” says Ben.
“Not fake,” I say, moving away.
Standing alone, I watch Uncle Gus tending the refreshment table. Sammy charms him into distraction while Noah empties a gin bottle into the punch bowl. Joe pours himself a glass, gives one to Jethro, and hands another to Rita. She takes a sip and moves next to me.
“Tell me about The Black Bear Company,” she says, cringing and shaking her head after taking a bigger swallow.
“My new half-sister and I changed the name to honor our father. He went by Black but his Ojibwe name was Black Bear. My Uncle Gus actually runs the company. He set up a trust for us. It gives Mia and me money until we graduate. Then we can take over if we want. Most likely, Gus will stay on for quite a while. It’s pretty big: lumber yards, logging operations, retail stores, an iron mine here, part of two in Canada, and a railroad to the ore docks in Superior.”
“I’m glad you’re so well off. I must admit that when you sent me those two large checks and asked me to get them to Arnie and the driver you call ‘Happy Zack’ I was shocked. I was even more shocked when your Uncle Augustus set up that generous annuity for me.”
“Set one up for Roxy Raymond, a disabled prize fighter, too. Gus keeps a sharp eye on the money but he understands the need to use it to help others.”
“I saw all the publicity. You’re still big news. What’s the story on Olson?”
“Officially he died in the fighting, nothing public about his criminal activities. The volunteers are keeping what he did over there to themselves and Uncle Gus says the cops and the tax people don’t have the interest or the money to dig into his dark side.”
She finishes her punch, frowns and gives me an intense look. “Is that what you want to do with your life, run a business?”
“Mia’s a natural. She’s a business major—going for an MBA next year—and likes running things. I don’t think that’s for me. Dr. Mason says I’d make a good doctor, says he’d help me get into medical school with Sammy. Andy got in too but he stood up to his dad and put it off for now. The only thing Gus tells me is to never box again. Dr. Shay thinks I should go to grad school. Andy thinks I should teach. Tim
doesn’t give advice.” I pause and run my fingers over my medallion before continuing. “I don’t know where I’ll end up but there’s one thing I have to do before I make any decisions.”
“And that is?”
“I can’t find the right words now, but I promise you’ll know when it happens.
* * *
After the party, Tim pulls Mia’s new Porsche up my driveway. Andy and I sit in back. Mia’s made too many visits to the punch bowl so Tim stays behind the wheel. Driving’s new to him he takes to it like he was born in the backseat of a NASCAR racer. I watch him power across the bridge, accelerate up the steep hill, and zip down the rutted dirt road into Desperation Hollow.
I stopped trying to figure out if Tim manipulated me to get here and I’ve stopped caring. He and Mia seem to have become an item and I’m happy and comfortable with Andy.
We roar past mom’s old double wide that’s now home to Jack and his family, and slide to a stop in front of my old trailer.
“Some driving,” says Mia.
“Wow,” I say, winking at Tim.
Andy and I go inside while Mia and Tim wait by the car. “Not much difference since you bought it,” he says.
“Just a flat screen TV and an indoor toilet. The bank couldn’t believe anyone would actually want to buy this dump. I have a room in Mom’s new house but I spend time here, too. Feels like I belong.”
“Here’s where you belong.” He wraps his arms around me. His lips are warm and his hair smells like apples. I don’t know how long we kiss but the sound of the car horn breaks us up. “I don’t want to get competitive,” he says. “But, I bet my wow is better than his.”
I take a bottle of Champaign—Gus tells me it’s an excellent vintage—and a small bottle of water from the fridge. Andy gets four glasses. We take the winding path through the swamp, up the hill, and make the left turn. We’ve reached my secret thinking spot. I look to the north and see miles of green pines set off by golden leaves.
Andy fills three glasses with Champaign and mine with my water. We embrace each other in a circle. I inhale the crisp air and raise my glass. “Lechaim,” I say. Tim looks puzzled. “It’s Hebrew. It means to life. Let’s say it together, then break the glasses.”
We raise our glasses. “On the count of three,” I say. “One—two—three— Lechaim,” we shout, drink our glasses dry, and throw them against the granite bolder.
I stand in a circle, celebrating the miracle of life with Andy, my new half-sister, and Tim. For a minute, I feel content, overwhelmed with love. Then I remember that blur I saw mingling with the smoke from the helicopter. It’s been lingering in a corner of my mind, gnawing at me, but now somehow I’m sure. I look out over the trees, into the northwest wind coming down from Canada and I know. He’s out there somewhere and I won’t ever be at peace until I find him.
Squaw Girl: A Boxer's Battle for Love Page 26
