Women's Best Short Stories by Larry Parr

Author:Larry Parr
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Black Rose Writing
Published: 2016-03-10T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TEN

Spring, she thought. That’s not too far away. It would be enough time to sew a wedding dress, make the wigwam feel like home, and ready the bed she would share with John.

While work kept her busy, pleasant memories and hope for the future sustained her throughout the fall and winter.

The shad run came and went. Flowers bloomed and faded, but there was no sign of John. She went to the river whenever she could and imagined an emotional reunion, but, when her imagination began to fail, she worried. Perhaps his father was ill, and John had to care for the farm, which would explain his delay.

He warned her it might take longer, but not knowing drove her crazy. She tried not to think the worst, that he was being pressured to marry another, or he died before reaching the settlement.

Summer slipped into fall, and Lillinonah knew what her father thought. More than once, he suggested she stop waiting for her paleface sweetheart and consider marrying one of her own people.

“No. John vowed he would return to me.”

“I’m not questioning his love. You need to realize that most white people think we’re inferior. If his family thinks that way, they’ll make it very hard for him to return.”

“But I’m a princess! He’ll make them understand!”

She didn’t want to believe it, but could he be right? Could the difference between their races be too great to overcome?

As much as she wanted to believe otherwise, it seemed to be the case. She grew more melancholy with each passing day.

She wandered through the woods, dispirited and numb, her eyes red from crying. So many things reminded her of John—the rustling leaf patch was his hair, a bit of moss his eyes. When winter finally came, she was content to shut herself away during those long, dark days, with only memories to warm her heart.

The chief watched sadly as his daughter’s health declined. She barely ate, and her once-radiant skin and hair turned sallow and dull. When winter turned to spring again, he knew something had to be done.

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