“I’m sorry. I should have explained my
reason for leaving, right away. I would have if I hadn’t feared
your anger, the anger I am witnessing now.” Then she realized,
although he was enraged, she did not fear him. She swallowed her
pride and said, “Blue Thunder, I love you with all my heart. I
never loved Hawk Nose nor went with him to leave you. I wanted to
look for you, I was so worried. The brave had become insane and he
deceived me; it was foolish of me but I was dying inside not
knowing whether you were dead or alive. You are my life,” she cried
as tears flowed down her face. “How could you have doubted me?”
She placed her head on his chest and his
heart pounded in her ears; it beat wildly like hers. Then he
trembled and a mournful sound, like a wounded animal, escaped his
lip.
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She looked up to see tears in his eyes also.
He still loved her. She believed that they both had a lot of
explaining to do and they spent the night talking with their hearts
and their hands.
The next morning, Melissa went to talk with
the chief. She owed him an apology for what she had put everyone
though. Since that night, many months ago when he had taken her to
his heart as his daughter-by-marriage, she was permitted to call
him father.
Swallowing the dry lump, she called out in
his tongue. “May I enter, father?”
“Yes, my child. Come in.”
He looked as if he had aged some. This was
their first meeting since she returned home, both remaining in
their wickiup, in seclusion. Melissa because of her misery and
foolishness, and she assumed the chief because of his waning
health. He motioned her to sit and she did so.
“Father,” again she cleared her throat, “I
own you a sincere apology. I didn’t listen to your wise words.
Please forgive a foolish woman.” His face creased into a smile but
she saw his dark eyes clouded with pain and she wanted to hold him
but she knew it wouldn’t be proper. Oh, the hell with protocol! She
leaned over and hugged him. They both wept for a moment, and then
he patted her hand making her sigh.
“I do not feel any animosity in my heart for
daughter-in-law. You love my son so much that you risked all to
find him. How can I find fault with that?”
She cried anew then left because she was too
choked up to say anything else. But then there wasn’t anything else
to say.
The following day Melissa spied Star Gazer.
It would soon be time to move camp now that spring was approaching.
He was sitting by his hut, staring up at the sky as if he were
looking for answers to why his Weeping Bird was taken from him. She
needed to speak with him, to give her condolences. He looked up at
her when she cast a shadow across his slumped shoulders. He stood
and all she could do was hug him and cry anew with the young brave.
She believed that someday another love would come along but she
kept her thoughts to herself. A broken heart needed time to mend
and her words would only be accepted with a grain of salt. Her joy
was complete when Blue Moon came to her and handed her a straw
doll. She was making idle conversation with her, to show her mother
that she was beginning to remember her. Within days, Blue Moon was
once again in her arms, returning love and hugs.
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“What do you think of your little brother?”
she asked. Her daughter had turned two years of age in her absence
and she was quite the young lady. She pouted her little pink lips
in thought and moved small shoulders in a shrug.
“He’s no fun like Little Licks Too Much, and
father’s dog. He was brave to defend you, mother. Dark Wolf only
drinks and dirties himself.”
Melissa giggled. It had been along time
since she heard her own laughter. She kissed her daughters cheek.
“Well, your mother promises you that before you know it, your
brother will be teasing you.”
Another shrug and her daughter ran from the
hut yelling over her shoulder, “He better hurry up, father says I
am growing like a blade of grass. Orf!”
“Hey, little daughter, are you a speeding
locomotive?” teased Blue Thunder who was standing at the opening.
Their daughter gave her father an odd look and ran through his legs
but stopped and turned. “What’s a locomotive?” she asked him. “It
is a white man’s iron horse.” Now she really looked at him oddly.
He chuckled. “Go play, someday you might ride in one. Your daughter
is a delight,” he praised still laughing and then he kissed her
cheek.
She was nursing their son and he look so
pleased at the beautiful sight. Her husband promised that he would
never misjudge her again. Without her love he’d be half a man; she
completed him. He handed her a letter.
“James Lone Elk returned with the answer to
the letter you had him post for you awhile back to your
brother.”
She had been flabbergasted when she learned
that the Apache, James Lone Elk was a blonde headed half breed that
scouted for the army and was married to a woman of his clan. He was
able to be friends with the Apaches and the army and not give the
camp’s location away.
Melissa took it and read it out loud.
“Dear Sis. It’s been a long time since I
left the Apace camp with Rose Blossom. I was thrilled to receive
your letter telling me of your son, Gray Wolf. My wife and I
received our own bundle of joy last month. We christened him,
Inteus, (which means has no shame,) Darrel, St. Andrew. He will be
raised as a proud Apache and white man.”
A chill ran up her arm at the mention of her
father.
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She continued wiping her eye. “Rose Blossom,
who answers to only Rose now, adapted quite well to our life style
and frankly she became quite spoiled with all the modern things the
Native Indians don’t have. Like indoor privies and servants. Free
servants, that is. The war was about over when we returned to the
plantation and with neighbor’s help, I planted crops again. We are
doing quite well. I miss you and wish you all the best. I hope
someday when the Indians are accepted by the white’s you will come
and visit. I set up a savings in your name which you can have wired
when that day comes. Received a letter from Daphne and her
daughter, Mary Melissa will soon have a sibling. She’s well and
happy and old Sam has become a doting grandfather. Take care, all
my love, Jason.
PS. I had a nice stone put up at our
parent’s grave site. And I planted a weeping willow, knowing how
much mother loved to sit under the large one by the porch.
The letter floated to the floor as she wept
tears of happiness for her brother.
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EPILOGUE
The years that passed were not easy for Blue
Thunder and his family. They had to move with the tiny village many
times to keep out of danger. Whenever soldiers were spotted by
Indian lookouts, the village pulled up stakes and moved quietly to
another location, always a hair’s breadth away from being found by
the U.S. Cavalry.
It seemed he never had a dull moment in his
life, He and his wife and their children, Blue Moon, Gray Wolf,
Amitola, meaning “Rainbow,” which appeared right after her birth,
and Thunder Hawk, managed to have a happy life. They were proud
parents and lived contentedly watching their offspring’s grow and
develop into strong, healthy adults.
On November
9
th
,
1891, Fort Apache Indian Reservation was established, and after
twenty-eight years of moving, Blue Thunder opted to settle down
with his family. In the latter years, he and Moon Glow were blessed
with many grandchildren. And it was a grandchild, Johnny Cloud
Dancing who arranged for his siblings and his cousins to visit him
and his wife. That made them happy and very blessed
grandparents.
THE END
The saga continues in the
next novel called,
Love By Dawn
195
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Spangaloo
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