by Janie DeVos
On the second day of traveling, we ran into some rain, though it wasn’t until late in the afternoon, so it didn’t impede our travel much. As we watched lightning streak across thick, dark clouds to the north, Max decided it was time to stop and make a better shelter than the one we’d built the night before. After making the frame for the lean-to, we got busy weaving branches and greenery into the structure’s roof until it was as waterproof as it could possibly be. We’d just finished warming up some food and coffee when the heavens opened. Taking our cups and the coffeepot into the shelter with us, we settled in for what looked to be a wet night.
We were tired, but the traveling had been good, allowing us to put many more miles behind us. We sipped our coffee as we discussed the day’s journey and made plans for the next. We made small talk to stave off the impending deafening silence that threatened to take over. When the conversation hit an uncomfortable lull, Max stretched out, put his hat over his face, and said good night.
I quietly left the shelter to throw out the remainder of the coffee and double-checked that the fire had been doused by the rain. Looking up, I saw that the clouds had cleared, leaving a purple and orange sky. Because it was summer, the sun wouldn’t completely set until well into the evening, which made falling asleep hard.
I went back into the lean-to and lay there, staring at the dark and dripping foliage above me. As tired as I was, I was restless, and I rolled from one side to the other. My mind raced with a thousand questions, until I couldn’t hold them inside any longer. Rolling onto my back, I asked Max if he was still awake.
“Barely,” he mumbled. “What is it?”
“Why didn’t Naomi come with us? She could have, you know. Or you could have stayed there, and I would have paid someone else to accompany me home.”
Slowly, Max lowered his hat from his face and looked over at me. “What are you talking about, Eve?”
“Naomi. I just wondered…” I didn’t know exactly what to say. “You know…”
“No, I don’t know.” Max looked confused but slightly amused, too. “Tell me.” He rolled onto his side to face me and sat up slightly, leaning on his forearm. Then he repeated, “Tell me.”
“Well, at the Corn Festival, when you and Naomi stood in front of the chief, and…”
“You have no idea what we said, do you, Eve?”
“Nobody translated. I just assumed since Ivy and Moses had just gotten married, and then you and Na—”
“You just assumed we got married?”
“Well, …yes. And you kissed her, so I just assumed…”
“Yes, but I didn’t kiss her the way I kissed you, did I?” Suddenly, he didn’t look quite so amused. “You think that I would kiss you in the afternoon and marry another in the evening? Is that what you think of me? That I would be such a cetto—such a snake? I’m going to sleep now, and I suggest you do the same.” He rolled over, turning his back to me. “We have many more miles to go before we can put this road behind us.”
The night seemed endless and neither of us slept much. We both tossed and turned, and it felt as though the new day would never come. When it finally did, the sky broke into magnificent shades of pink, peach, and blue. The fat white clouds reminded me of dumplings.
Both of us were quiet as we hurried through breakfast. It was obvious that we were more comfortable riding than forcing conversation. About midmorning, we came upon a small creek.
“Eve,” Max called over to me as he slowed Sampson. “This is a good place to stop. We’ll take a few minutes to let the horses drink while you and I stretch our legs. I want to talk to you.”
We reined our horses in and dismounted. Both of us knelt on the bank, drank from our cupped hands, and splashed the tepid water over our faces and necks. Even at this early hour, the sun baked everything, especially at this time of year.
Max wiped away the water on his face, set his hat back on his head, then stood up. “Let’s walk.”
We quietly walked along the creek for several minutes until Max pointed out a massive oak tree. Sitting down with my back against the trunk, I waited as Max settled down next to me.
He didn’t say anything for a moment, as if he was trying to decide how to start, but he finally spoke. “Like I told you before, when my mother, sister, and brother died, I spent some time with Uncle Jay. My father was lost without my mother, so he spent most of his time on long hunting and trading trips.”
“Did you ever go with him?”
“No. My father just kept moving. I guess the pain was easier to tolerate if he did. But he wanted me to have some stability and some family around, so I went down to the Everglades.
“As I told you before, the Seminoles are a combination of several different tribes, and my mother’s people were Creeks, just as Naomi’s are. My mother’s people were part of the Otter Clan, and Naomi is from the Wind Clan.
“Her people lived in Georgia, and most of them were forced to go to Oklahoma. But a few of them were able to avoid being captured, and they either married into the white world or scattered deep into swamps or thick woods in the middle of nowhere. And those people created tiny settlements, oftentimes with members of other tribes. They became the Seminole people—‘the runaways.’
“Naomi’s grandparents and a few others were able to avoid being caught. They traveled at night and hid out during the day, all the way down to the Everglades. Naomi’s mother was born in the ’Glades but returned to Georgia with her parents and eventually married another Creek up there. However, she would come back to the ‘Glades to visit family and friends, and she’d bring Naomi with her. That’s how I met her.
“Jay was a good friend of Naomi’s people; because Naomi and I were both Creeks, and from different clans, a marriage was arranged. Jay felt I was too alone in the world, and Naomi was of marrying age, and her family approved. So, eight years ago we were married in front of the Seminole tribe just as Ivy and Moses were. We were both nineteen. And we stayed with the Seminoles part of the time but also went to Georgia and Alabama on hunting trips.
“At the end of our first year of marriage, Naomi gave birth to our daughter. We named her Ivy.” Max saw the startled look on my face. “That’s what first made me notice your sister, her name. Ivy and I got along well from the start, and the little I knew about herbs and plants that my people used for medicine, I told her about.”
“Where’s your daughter now, Max?”
“She died when she was just a year old.”
“Oh, Max!” I laid my hand on his. “What happened?”
“We were in the ’Glades, and we had our first cold snap of the winter, so Naomi wrapped Ivy up in blankets on her tiny bed. During the night, Ivy let out a sharp little cry, and Naomi checked on her. The baby kept crying so Naomi picked her up, and a coral snake fell out of her blankets. The snake must have crawled into Ivy’s bed to stay warm, and Ivy disturbed the snake and was bitten. The coral snake’s poison is very strong, so she was dead within thirty minutes.”
“Oh, my God, Max. Oh, my God…I d-don’t know what to say.” And I didn’t. I was stunned and deeply shaken. Max was fighting back tears and his mouth was tight as if he was working at keeping his emotions contained.
“I should have known better,” he cried, slamming a fist down on the ground. “I’d heard of that happening before. And I should have been more careful. I should have protected my daughter better!” Tears spilled from his eyes. He turned his face away from me and quickly wiped them away with the back of his sleeve.
“Max, how many thousands of nights have thousands of children gone to sleep and been safe and secure in their beds? The odds of something happening to your daughter while she slept were so slim that there was no reason for you to do anything differently to protect her that night. I know you well enough to know that you were a good and loving father. Sometimes terrible things happen, things that we’ll never be able t
o make sense of, and losing a child has to be the most terrible of them. I can’t imagine anything worse!”
“I can,” Max said, instantly silencing me. “Losing your child and then losing your wife.”
“How do you mean?”
“Ivy’s death broke us both in a way. Naomi wanted to go back to Georgia, but I didn’t want to settle down in one place for too long. So I’d leave her there while I went off on long hunting and trapping trips. I just felt like I had to keep going—the same way my father did. That maybe I could outrun the grief. And Naomi ran, too, right into the arms Jess Armistead.”
“Jess Armistead? Was he Creek, too?”
“No, he was white. He was a hunter and a trapper, too, and I’d often see him in Georgia. He’d even been a guest at our small settlement a time or two when the weather turned really bad. Even though hunters are competitors, there’s also a kind of brotherhood among them, and most of them know each other. Some get real territorial, but most of ’em respect each other and know where each other’s traps are and leave them alone.”
“How did you find out about Naomi and Jess?”
“I came back to Georgia early from a hunting trip. I hadn’t bathed in days so I went to a hidden swimming hole that Naomi and I used and found them there. I started to beat Jess pretty good. I guess I was taking all the pain of losing Naomi and Ivy out on him. The only thing that kept me from killing him was that Naomi tried to put herself between us. I didn’t want to accidentally kill her. Oh, don’t get me wrong. I felt like killing her, but feeling like it and doing it are two different things. Anyway, the son of a bitch grabbed his clothes and got the hell out of there, and I dragged Naomi back to the village and divorced her on the spot.”
“How do you mean, like in front of some judge, or…what? I don’t understand.”
“Eve, under Creek law, all it takes to divorce someone is to say, ‘I divorce you.’ And so that there was no misunderstanding about it, I told her that I divorced her in front of a lot of witnesses in the village. And that was it. It was finished—well, as far as I was concerned, anyway.”
“What do you mean?”
“Adultery is a major offense in the eyes of the Creek people. They wanted to cut off her hair and her ears, but I said no. I asked them to have mercy on her because of losing Ivy, and so they didn’t hurt her. But she was disgraced and would remain so until I forgave her in front of witnesses. And that’s what happened at the festival the other night.”
“You forgave her?”
Max nodded. “The Corn Festival is far more than just a festival thanking the Great Spirit for another bountiful harvest. It’s a time for renewal and forgiveness. It’s a time to forgive the debts of others and a time to forgive wrongdoings. Apparently, Naomi has been coming to the festival for the last five years, since I divorced her, hoping I’d be there so that I could forgive her. And that’s what I finally did the other night. I took all blame away from her and said that it was time for us to move forward with renewed spirits. I also said that she would forever be a part of my life because she was the mother of my child; she had been a good and kind mother, and Ivy’s spirit connects us forever. I also wished her joy through her life, and that was pretty much it.”
“And there was no way you and she could have worked it out—after the affair, I mean? Couldn’t you have tried to understand that maybe she needed someone to turn to after Ivy died, but you were never there? You said yourself that you were hunting all the time, trying to run away from the pain. What about Naomi’s pain? Couldn’t you two have tried to ease each other’s hurt?”
“She never asked me to stay home with her. Now I know why.”
“Why? So that she could be with Jess?”
“Yes.”
“Things might have been different if you’d just talked to each other more, tried to help each other, and been there for each other.”
“Eve, what Naomi and I had was doomed from the start.”
“Why, Max?”
“Because I never loved her.”
“Then why the hell did you marry her!?”
“Because it was encouraged, and I was lonely. I thought that maybe I could learn to love her.”
“And how did she feel about you, Max? Did you ever bother to ask her?”
“Let’s get going.” He started to get up, but I put my hand on his arm, stopping him.
“I want to finish this conversation, Max. I’m curious about something.”
“About what?”
“When you decided that your marriage to Naomi couldn’t be salvaged, you virtually said to everyone, ‘I’m done. We’re through.’ One, two, three, that’s it? It’s all as easy as that, Max? There are no binding certificates or legal documents to say you’re married? And then there’s no document declaring that you’re now divorced?”
“No.” Max’s face was hard.
“That’s all well and good if things stay wonderful and lovely,” I continued, “but what if someone gets really, really mad one night and says ‘I divorce you,’ but really just said it in the heat of the moment and feels bad about it the next day? Is it too late? Those three little words have already been said and there’s no taking them back?”
Max smiled sarcastically and shrugged a shoulder. “Yep. That’s about it.”
“Well, that’s about as ridiculous a thing as I’ve ever heard! You Creek people sure have flimsy relationships!” I got up and started back toward Maggie.
Max caught up and grabbed my arm to stop me. “Must I remind you that almost every single legal document and most every promise ever made by the white man to the red man has been broken? Paper and pen mean nothing to your people, Eve! Absolutely nothing! Talk about flimsy! I’d take the word of a red man over a hundred of the white man’s legal documents. As far as I’m concerned, all those are good for is to wipe your as—”
“I’m not gonna listen to your vulgarities!” I yanked my arm free and started walking toward Maggie again. “We’re from two very different worlds, Max, two very different worlds. And, if you don’t mind, I’d like to get back to the one I belong in.”
We mounted our horses, and just as I pulled Maggie’s reins to turn her to the north, Max grabbed hold of them, stopping us. “You know, Eve—” His voice was calm again, but his eyes were dark and intense. “I thought I was falling in love with you. I thought you were something special. I see now that I was very wrong, and that you are absolutely right: You belong to one world, and I’m a universe away.” Then he rode out ahead of me to return me to the world I knew.
Chapter 39
Crossroads
We traveled for two more days, only speaking to each other when absolutely necessary and riding as hard as we could without abusing our horses. Those long, quiet hours gave me plenty of time to think about the life I was headed back to and the people involved in it.
I was very happy to be going back to David. David represented security and normalcy, excitement and opportunity, and a world I understood and was comfortable living in. But the one thing that concerned me greatly was whether David would be as understanding about my sudden and lengthy flight south as I hoped he would be. I’d been gone far longer than expected, but I hoped that David would respect the fact that I’d made the journey to save my sister. In truth, I’d only seen a kind and patient side of him, and to conjure up and worry about some other side that I’d yet to see served no purpose at all, so I tried to push those thoughts out of my mind.
I also hoped and prayed that Mr. Jones would be forgiving of my lengthy absence and that my desk was still waiting for me. But I also knew that my boss had a business to run and needed people that he could count on to be there. I just hoped he found enough value in my work to allow me to return.
The one thing I dreaded was seeing my parents, and the fact that I felt that way broke my heart. I wondered what shape I would find my father in,
and my poor mother, for that matter, too. I dreaded seeing their reaction when I told them about Ivy’s decision to marry Moses, and raise their child among the Seminole people. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that it would shatter my mother, though I was curious to know what she felt Ivy’s other options might have been. What frightened me more than every one of my fears bundled together was what Papa might try to do. If he had been almost unreachable before, the news about my sister could push him beyond all logic and reason, and God only knew what he’d attempt to do then.
Max and I finally reached the point where we needed to head east for the last miles home. Oddly enough, instead of staying out in front of me, he reined Sampson in so that we were riding side by side. I felt as though he wanted to say something to me, and I understood; there was so much I wanted to say to Max. But it seemed as though each of us was having trouble getting the first words out.
During the last two days of our journey, I did more than think about David, my job at the paper, and my family. I also thought a lot about Max. Perhaps it was because we had spent so much time together, just the two of us. Without any doubt, there had been many times that were terrifyingly intense, but it was the intimate moments that kept running through my mind. We had counted on each other, trusted each other, and learned to respect and care for each other. The only trouble was I cared for him a great deal more than I would ever admit to him. I’d had trouble enough admitting it to myself, so telling him was out of the question. As we both agreed, we belonged to two different worlds, and it was past time that we each return to them.
“Max, this is where the journey ends for me,” I said as I pulled Maggie to a stop. We had literally reached the crossroads of our own separate worlds.
