Rocker from the Rez by Lance Chalmers

Author:Lance Chalmers
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Indigenous fiction. man seeking revenge, murder in Manitoba, an unexpected ending, girl murdered by unlikely villian, A reservation story, living on the Rez, Indigenous rock & roll
Publisher: BWL Publishing Inc.
Published: 2023-09-27T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

THE WEATHER PUSHES against the door, making it hard to close. Mom kicks off her boots and heads to the bathroom. My eyes are watering, partly from walking in the swift wind, but mostly because of the swelling.

I go to my room and slide my phone out of my pocket to call Dakota. Just as I’m about to dial, my mother pokes her head into the room. “I’m making you some tea with Burdock Root and cedar. It will help the swelling.”

“Fine, Mom. I just have to make a quick call. I’ll come to the kitchen when I’m done.” I hope she gets the hint that I want some privacy.

As soon as my mother disappears down the hall, I shut my bedroom door, sit back down on the bed, and call Dakota.

“Hello.” Dakota’s voice is almost at a whisper.

“Dakota?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you okay?”

“I think Butch bruised the skin on my neck. But other than my throat being a little sore, I’m okay. How about you?”

“That son of a bitch. I’m sorry I couldn’t stop him from choking you. I tried with everything I had, but he was hopped up on booze and had a crazy amount of strength.”

“Don’t be sorry. At least you tried. Besides, it’s not me I’m worried about. I heard from a couple of people that you took a bad beating. That your nose is broken and there are bones sticking out of your face.”

I laugh, and right away get a searing pain in my face. “What a crock of shit. The rez is full of drama queens and gossipers.”

“I figured as much. So the damage to your face isn’t bad, then?”

“Well, it’s not good. But I’m pretty sure once the swelling goes down, I’ll be fine.”

“Do you think your mom would mind if I came over and visited?”

“I think she’d be okay with that, but I’d better ask first. She’s been flipping out about my face since she saw the damage that Butch did.”

“What about Joe? Did he get it as bad as you?”

I tell her how Butch knocked him out cold, and how I tried to stop him. “The last I saw of Joe was after I helped him into his little brother’s car. I’ll know more about how he’s doing when I see him tomorrow. We have to talk to the chief together about what happened.”

Just then, my mother yells from the front room that my tea is ready. I tell Dakota that I’ll call her later, then head to the kitchen.

My mother pulls out a chair for me. “Sit down.”

I sit, and she tells me that the chief called while I was talking on the phone. “He wants you to meet him at the lodge tomorrow at noon. I hope to hell that he’s planning on calling the cops after he speaks with you. Butch has a criminal record longer than my body. He needs to be locked up for good before he hurts someone else.”

I nod and sip my tea. “What would you say if Dakota was to come over for a while this evening? I can really use the company.

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