Brave Beginnings (9 page)

“I hope so. Now, let’s get breakfast going.”
Erin motioned to the potato Julia stopped slicing into. “Chogan
might be patient, but patience has its limits. I saw the way he was
looking at you, and he’s eager to be your husband.”

Blushing, Julia returned to the task at
hand.

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

Chogan assumed that as soon as they left the
man Julia and her aunt called the preacher, they would return to
the house where he and Julia could be alone, but when Erin and
Woape took Penelope back to the house and Julia didn’t follow, he
realized he was wrong.

“You will need clothes,” Julia told him when
he asked her why they stayed outside the preacher’s house.

White man’s clothes. He knew this was what he
agreed to when he came here to live with her. He had to shed off
his past and embrace the new. And she was right. The white man
would not let him work here unless he dressed like other white men.
He glanced at his clothes and then back at her. He couldn’t imagine
his life without her; he loved her more than he loved his first
wife. But his first marriage had been an agreement between
families. This second marriage was a choice.

He took her hand. “We get clothes.”

“Oh. We probably shouldn’t hold hands.”

He frowned. She hadn’t rejected his touch
before. “Why not?”

She looked at him and, seeming to understand
the injured tone in his voice, she smiled. “I’m sorry. It’s not
that I don’t want to. It’s just that I don’t think it’s
allowed.”

“People in tribe do.”

“But we are here.”

She was right, and he shouldn’t have been
surprised, and yet, he was. Many things would be different. “I
learn.” He pulled the robe around himself and waited for her
instruction.

She appeared uncertain, as if a silent battle
waged in her mind.

“It is good. I learn quick,” he assured
her.

“No. It’s not that. It’s...” She shrugged,
peered up at him and whispered, “I do want to hold your hand.”

Her meaning dawned on him. So she wasn’t
afraid he couldn’t adjust to this new life. That made him feel
better. “I understand. We hold hands when alone. In house.”

“Yes.” Looking relieved, she motioned down
the sidewalk. “Uncle Clarence gets his clothes fitted at Anthony’s
store. We will get your clothes there.”

He nodded and followed her, all too aware of
the stares people sent their way. Turning his gaze to Julia, he
wondered if she noticed it too, but she didn’t seem to. Perhaps she
did but ignored it? Or maybe he was keenly aware of it because he
was the one who was out of place. That made him more sensitive to
the things going on around him. He took a deep breath and steeled
his resolve. He was a hunter, well trained and strong. A few stares
wouldn’t hurt him.

They reached the store she mentioned, and she
smiled at him. “I have to wait for you to open the door.”

He obeyed, not thinking to ask why until they
were already inside the store and being greeted by a middle-aged
man.

“Good morning,” the man greeted. “How can I
help you today?”

“My husband needs some clothes,” Julia
said.

The man nodded. “Then you came to the right
place.” He laughed and looked at Chogan. “Do you speak
English?”

Chogan was surprised. Not only did the man
seem sincere in his kindness but he also asked Chogan the question
in the Mandan tongue. “You speak Mandan,” Chogan said in his native
tongue.

“My grandmother was Mandan. You wouldn’t know
it to look at me. No one gets any whiter than me.” He held up his
pale hands and chuckled. “My sister has darker skin though. I
always thought it was fascinating that we looked different since we
came from the same family. But it is what it is. God has a purpose
for everything.”

Realizing that Julia was staring at them,
Chogan turned to her. “He speak Mandan. Nice man.”

Julia’s smile widened. “That’s wonderful.” To
the man, she added, “I don’t speak it at all.”

“I grew up learning English and Mandan,” the
man replied. “My grandmother and mother insisted on it.”

“He has Mandan grandmother,” Chogan
added.

“My grandmother hasn’t been to the tribe in
forty years,” the man said.

Julia furrowed her eyebrows. “Why not?
Bismarck is not that far.”

“She lives a good distance out with my mother
and father.”

Chogan sensed there was more to it than that
but respected the man’s need for privacy. Some things were best
kept within the family. But the man and his family intrigued him.
He was the product of a union between a Mandan woman and a white
man, and he had his own store. It probably helped that he was
white. “Where is your sister?” Chogan asked in Mandan.

“She’s married to a farmer. They don’t live
too far from our parents.”

“Is her husband white?”

The man’s gaze grew thoughtful. “He is a
half-breed, like her.”

“Are there lots of half-breeds?”

“Very few in town but further out, there are
more. It’s easier to be away from a lot of people.”

Chogan understood the man’s meaning and
couldn’t help but agree. He glanced at Julia and wondered if their
children might find others who’d be like them to find companionship
with. The future was still a ways off for such thoughts but he
already knew the world would treat them differently. He wondered if
Julia realized this. There was hope though. People like Anthony who
owned this store and grew up in this situation would be willing to
welcome the children he and Julia would have.

“I need job,” Chogan told him, this time
speaking in English. “A good employer.”

“What did you do at the tribe?” the man
asked.

“Hunt. I good hunter.”

The man scratched his head. “Well... A
butcher could always use fresh meat.”

Chogan nodded. It made sense.

“I know where the butcher is,” Julia spoke
up. “I can take you there.”

“You should make sure you get a haircut
first,” Anthony warned Chogan. “I’ll get you fitted up with some
clothes. You’re taller than most of my customers, but I have a
couple who require longer pants so I have a pair in stock.”

Chogan wondered if he could hunt in his
clothes and change into the white man’s clothes when he brought his
game to the butcher. But that was assuming he’d get the job.

The process of getting new clothes was
painless, though the jeans the man gave him felt restrictive. He
didn’t care much for it and vowed he’d make it a habit of wearing
his deerskin pants when at home. The boots were also hard, not soft
like the moccasins he was accustomed to. The cotton button up shirt
was better. At least that wasn’t so confining.

Anthony handed him a leather belt. “This will
be mostly for looks. You don’t need it to hold the pants up.”

With a nod, he looped it through the pant
holes.

“And a bandana to complete the look,” the man
added, handing him a red bandana with a dark blue square design on
it. “It goes around your neck.”

Chogan thought the red contrasted sharply
against the blue clothes but figured Anthony knew what he was doing
so he obeyed and slipped it around his neck.

The man chuckled. “I’m sorry. I should have
shown you how to tie it.” Reaching up, the man made a loose knot
and then motioned to the mirror. “What do you think?”

Chogan turned to the mirror and took in the
changes in his appearance. Had it not been for his long hair and
dark skin, he wouldn’t have known it was him. He took a deep
breath. It would take time to get used to this new life and the
clothes that came with it. His gaze fell to Julia who was looking
at his reflection in the mirror. He smiled, his unease
lessening.

She returned his smile and walked over to
him. “Thank you,” she whispered.

Had they been alone, he would have kissed
her. But they weren’t alone, so he turned to his old clothes and
picked them up. “We go cut hair.”

She went over to the owner and paid him for
the clothes. “We will need a suit for church.”

“That’ll be on me,” he told her. “You two got
a lot of good and bad times coming, but I can tell when a couple is
in love. Consider it my wedding gift.”

“Oh, well that’s awfully nice of you.”

“It’s nothing. At one time my grandparents
were starting a life together. I see you and imagine what they must
have looked like.” He turned to Chogan. “I’ll have a suit made for
you within a week.”

“Thank you,” Chogan replied.

“I’ll be in touch,” the owner said.

With a wave, Julia left and Chogan
followed.

***

Julia slowly woke from her slumber. For a
moment, she thought it had all been a dream—a very realistic one at
that. But then she felt the arm around her waist and the body
snuggled against her back and realized it had been real after
all.

Her exhaustion had caught up with her once
she and Chogan consummated the marriage, and despite her
excitement, she had fallen asleep. The day had been a full one with
getting the new clothes, taking Chogan to the barber, returning
home to get her room set up to accommodate two people instead of
one, and trying to catch up on everything that had happened with
her brother and Woape since she’d last seen them.

When it was time to go to bed, a mixture of
excitement and apprehension about the physical aspect of her
marriage prevented her from relaxing right away. But Chogan had
taken his time with her and been gentle.

She closed her eyes, thinking that she might
go back to sleep. The room was still dark, so she knew it was in
the middle of the night. She rolled over so that she was facing her
husband and smiled. He slept, his breathing even and deep. She
couldn’t make out much of his face in the dim light, but he looked
peaceful.

Her body still tingled in the places where he
had touched and kissed her. She hadn’t been so aware of her body
before, and now that she was and knew the pleasures it was capable
of producing, she longed to experience more of it.

“Chogan?” she whispered, running her hand
over his strong bicep and up to his neck.

She noted the absence of his long hair with a
heavy sigh. She missed the rich black hair that had fallen down his
back. Maybe he could grow his hair back and be fine. If she had
seen other Indians who worked in Bismarck, then she’d know if his
haircut had been a good idea or not. Perhaps they had been too
eager to get him to fit in.

“Chogan?”

He stirred from sleep and opened his eyes.
Then he smiled. “It nice to see you.”

She chuckled and wiggled closer to him. “It’s
nice to see you too.”

She didn’t wait for him to reply. Instead,
she kissed him. His lips were soft and warm, and she experienced a
thrilling sensation similar to a feather running up and down her
spine as his tongue brushed hers. Everything was new and exciting;
she wanted to enjoy every minute of it.

Chogan traced the curve of her hip and cupped
her bottom. She brought her leg up and around his waist. When he
rolled onto his back so she could straddle him, she gasped in
surprise. They hadn’t done this before. She liked the idea of being
on top.

She leaned forward and kissed him again,
noting that his hands settled on her hips. His fingers kneaded her
skin which further stimulated her senses. She became aware of
everything happening between them. His male hardness pressing
against the sensitive regions of her body. The strength in his
chest as she ran her hands along his muscles. His smell and taste.
She was quickly becoming familiar with these things associated with
him, things that would undoubtedly one day be so common to her that
it’d seem as if they were also a part of her.

The tension building between her legs was
growing stronger, the ache demanding she move. She straightened and
shifted so that he could enter her. Her body clenched around him in
satisfaction. Unlike last time, there was no sting or need for her
to adjust to him. This time he slid in with little effort. She felt
complete with him so intimately connected to her, reminding her
that this act was a bonding of their hearts, spirits and
bodies.

He encouraged her to move with his hands. She
gave a low moan and obeyed. Her gaze fell down to his face, and
through the sliver of moonlight that filtered through the curtains,
she saw him watching her. He smiled and she returned his smile,
almost too shy to vocalize how good their lovemaking made her feel.
But the desire compelling her forward lowered her inhibitions and
she found herself softly moaning as she rocked in rhythm with his
hands.

She took her time, not in any hurry to
finish, even if daylight would come much too soon and she knew
she’d be tired tomorrow with what little rest she’d gotten over the
past couple of days. At the moment, such things as exhaustion
didn’t matter. It was her and Chogan. The rest of the world seemed
to melt away. This was how it was when they hunted for rabbits in
the field, and she wished it could always be this way.

When he reached forward with one hand so he
could stroke her sensitive nub, she held her breath. He hadn’t done
that before, and truth be told, she wasn’t aware that she had a
place on her body capable of such intense pleasure. And, even more
surprising, the intensity grew greater as he continued his circular
motions.

She bit her lower lip so she wouldn’t get too
loud and closed her eyes. In her excitement, she stilled but he
kept the movements going until she reached the peak of the
experience and uttered a low cry. He slowed, letting her take the
time she needed to come down from the heights he’d brought her
to.

When her head cleared, she was able to focus
on him again. Leaning forward, she kissed him with more
assertiveness than before. He rolled her so that he was the one on
top of her, staying inside her the whole time. She held onto him as
he went deeper into her. She marveled at the sheer power of his
thrusting and wondered if it should hurt her but didn’t. When she
groaned, it wasn’t from pain. The entire process was most pleasant,
and she found she even enjoyed the more insistent way he claimed
her. He was both passionate and powerful to her; two things that
thrilled her. She felt him stiffen and shudder as he released his
seed into her.