Love's Memory

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Book excerpt

Chapter 1

It had been ten years since Silas Long Feather had last seen the young white girl spying on him and Jamie when they had stopped at a pond to swim. He had been nineteen, and Jamie was twenty-one.

The first time he saw her, they had been to Rolling Fork to make a delivery for the lumber yard. It was a very hot day, and when he spotted the pond through the trees, he had talked Jamie into stopping to cool off with a swim. They had swimming trunks in the truck with them after forgetting to take them out when they had gone swimming last.

They had changed and were running toward the water when Silas had felt eyes staring at him. He stopped and glanced around, spotting her in the trees. When he looked her way, she quickly hid behind the trees. Silas grinned and ran on and jumped into the water. The girl stayed there in the trees and watched until they started out of the water. She slipped away when they started toward their truck.

Silas smiled to himself. She had been cute, but he knew he could get into trouble if he was messing around with a young white girl. He did not tell Jamie about seeing the girl. He didn’t know why. He usually shared everything with Jamie, but for some reason, he was reluctant to share this with Jamie.

The rest of the summer, every time they made a trip to Rolling Fork, they would stop and go for a swim on the way home. Sometimes Silas would spot the girl watching them, and sometimes she would not be there. He began to look forward to seeing her hiding in the trees watching him. He did not know why he was so sure she was watching him and not Jamie, but he was sure. He had felt her eyes following his every move. He could feel her eyes caressing his body. She never approached them. She always stayed hidden and she would slip away when they left the water.

The weather started to cool off, too cool for swimming. Silas missed stopping and he missed seeing the girl in the trees. He looked carefully when they passed the spot, but he never saw her in the trees. He didn’t know who she was, and he could not make inquiries about her because he was Indian and she was white.

The next summer, they began stopping for a swim again, but there was never any sign of the girl. Silas pushed the memory of her to the back of his mind and kept it there safe and sound from the world’s intrusion.

* * *

May Flower Merril finished recording the deposition on her desk computer and carried the paper file to the filing cabinet to put it in its proper place. She was so ready for her lunch break. Now, if she could just slip out before Carlson knew she was leaving. Carlson followed her around and continued to try and convince her to marry him. She told him “no.” She refused to date him, but it did not stop him from going to her family and getting them on his side. None of them paid any attention to her when she told them she was not in love with Carlson. All they saw was a big shot lawyer wanted to marry into the family, and they pushed his case constantly. The only one to seem less in favor of Carlson was her brother, Gunner.

May had moved out into her apartment to get away from all of the pressure. Her family thought she was making a big mistake. They were just as upset as they were when she dropped Flower out of her name and just used May. They couldn’t understand all of the teasing she had endured being called May Flower. For a girl as shy as May had been, it had been agonizing.

When May slipped out of the office, somehow managing to avoid Carlson, she ran into her friend Brenda Oaks outside on the street.

“Hi, May, you’re late for lunch break. It’s already two-thirty,” said Brenda.

“I know. I had a deposition I had to record. I’m taking the rest of the day off,” said May.

“Why don’t you come with me? I have some shopping to do in Sharpville. Barons doesn’t have the makeup I use. The stuff carried here makes me break out,” said Brenda.

“I don’t know,” said May. “I was looking forward to going home and taking a long soak.”

“You can take a soak when you get back. It won’t take long. It’s only twenty-five miles and we can stop at Danny’s and get something to eat when we start back,” Brenda encouraged. “Besides, I need the company. I hate driving by myself.”

“Okay, why not?” said May. “At least I know I won’t run into Carlson in Sharpville.” Brenda laughed and took her arm to guide the way to where her car was parked.

The girls enjoyed the trip. They sang along with the radio, and May could feel herself relaxing. This had been a good idea, she thought. They shopped in the drug store, and Brenda waved and spoke to several people she recognized. She shopped there often to get her makeup.

After shopping, they headed to Danny’s to get a burger. They waved and spoke to Danny, who was behind the counter.

“Hi, girls,” said Danny. “What can I get for you?”

“We want a couple of your delicious burgers, Danny,” said Brenda.

“Okay, just take a seat. I’ll send them out in a few minutes. Do you want drinks?”

“I’ll take iced tea,” said May.

“Me, too,” agreed Brenda. “I’m driving.” She grinned at Danny, and the girls went to find a table. It was not crowded. It was early evening and the dinner crowd had not begun to arrive yet. They picked a table midways of the room and sat down to wait. The waitress brought them their iced teas and told them the burgers would be there shortly.

Brenda stood up. “While we are waiting on our burgers, I am going to take a quick look in the magic mirror.” She went over to the magic mirror and sat in the chair in front of it. May followed along with her. May had heard of the magic mirror, but she had never looked in it before.

Brenda sat looking in the mirror, but she only saw her reflection. She sighed and rose. “Nothing, I have never seen anyone. I am beginning to think there is no true love for me,” said Brenda. She turned and looked at May. “You have to try,” she said.

May was wary, but she sat in the chair. When she looked in the magic mirror, she gasped.

“Silas,” she whispered.

Silas looked into the mirror in front of him. He had been washing his face. Silas started grinning. “Well, if it isn’t my woodland sprite,” he said. May flushed. She had not known Silas was aware of her spying on him all of those years ago. “You know my name?” asked Silas.

“Yes,” nodded May.

“What’s your name?” he asked.

“May Merril,”

“Are you in Rolling Fork?” asked Silas.

“No, my family moved away from Rolling Fork ten years ago,” said May. “We moved to Barons.”

“Where’s Barons?” asked Silas frowning.

“It is twenty-five miles South of Sharpville,” said May.

“They have a magic mirror, too?” asked Silas.

“Yes, it’s in Danny’s Bar and Grill,” said May.

Silas smiled at May. “You are my true love,” he said. “You are not married, are you?” he asked.

May flushed. “No, are you?”

“No, I was waiting for my woodland sprite to come back,” he said.

“Are you still on the reservation?” asked May.

“Yes, Jamie and I help out with security and deliver large loads for the lumber yard. You remember Jamie?”

“Yes, I remember Jamie,” said May.

“Don’t run off before I can get to you. I will see you as soon as I can make arrangements to be away,” said Silas. “Don’t forget me.”

“If I haven’t forgotten you in ten years, I don’t think you have anything to worry about,” said May smiling. The mirror faded to her reflection.

Brenda had been standing beside May watching and listening in amazement as May carried on a conversation with the magic mirror.

“You really saw someone in the mirror?” asked Brenda.

“Yes, I did. Not just any someone, but someone I had a huge crush on ten years ago. I didn’t know he had even seen me. He said he is coming to find me,” said May excitedly.

The waitress had brought their burgers and was standing listening to their conversation with a huge smile on her face. “Congratulations, the magic mirror has been silent a lot lately. We were beginning to think it had quit working. It’s good to know it was just waiting for the right person to sit in front of it,” The waitress took their burgers to their table and then hurried off to spread the word about the magic mirror working.

When May and Brenda were ready to leave, they went to the counter to pay for their burgers. “They are on the house,” said Danny. “The magic mirror says so.”

“Thank you,” said May and Brenda with big smiles. They waved as they left.

The trip home was filled with excitement. Brenda seemed to be almost as excited as May.

“It really works,” said Brenda. “I just have to keep trying, and maybe I will see someone.”

“When we get home, I would appreciate it if you would not say anything about me seeing Silas in the mirror. I don’t want my family to know about it yet,” said May.

Brenda shook her head. “You would think they would be happy for you.”

“They want me to marry Carlson. He has been working on them. I told him no and I refused to go out with him, but I can’t convince him or my family it is not going to happen,” said May.

“Won’t your family be happy you have found your true love?” asked Brenda.

“No, all they are going to see is he is Indian. They are going to be against us being together. One of the reasons they were happy to move away from Rolling Fork was because it was so close to the reservation. They will be thinking up all kinds of reasons why we can’t be together.” May shuddered.

“Don’t worry, I won’t say anything, but they are going to find out when he shows up in town,” said Brenda.

“Maybe I can convince him to elope,” said May.

Brenda shook her head. “I think you should put your foot down. You are twenty-five years old, and they have no right to tell you how to live your life.”

“I know you are right,” said May. “I need to stand up to them and stop them from bossing me around. After all, if they cared about me at all, they would stop pushing me to marry Carlson, when I have told them repeatedly I can’t stand the man. He gives me the creeps.”

Brenda laughed. “You should have quit that job ages ago,” she said.

“It’s not so easy to find a job in a town as small as Barons,” said May.

Brenda pulled into a parking space in front of May’s apartment. May started to get out and then turned back to Brenda.

“Thanks for talking me into going with you today,” she said.

“Thanks for going with me. I haven’t had this much fun in ages. You be sure to introduce me to Silas before you two take off,” said Brenda.

“I will,” promised May. She hurried into her apartment.

May entered her apartment and locked her door. She lay down her purchases and stood for a minute, smiling into space. Then she started dancing around laughing.

“I saw Silas. He’s coming for me,” she said.