Summer Solstice

The Walk Home

"Did you want to cut through the trees?" I asked, pulling him towards the edge of the street. He paused and looked down the next block, "But then it would only take about ten minutes to walk you home." He pulled me back towards the street, "This way, I get to be with you longer." I blushed and tucked my face into the neck of my jacket, I didn't want him to see how widely I was smiling.

If we took the long route, around the museum and up past the park, it would take almost a half an hour. He didn't want to say goodbye any more than I did. Once I composed my smile, I faced him, my cheeks only a bit pink. "Okay, I'll follow wherever you lead."

"I hope so."

His comment made me laugh. We headed towards the Museum of Wapatau, at the edge of the territories. There was no mistaking the parts of Wapatau that everyone went to, as opposed to the half that only the tribal members were allowed to be in. We didn't really live on a reservation, but there were lines in the town that were just never crossed by tourists or non tribal members. There was a huge expanse of trees, just before the museum, at least a mile long and hundreds of miles wide.

Tribal members could be found all over the village, but nobody passed that line that didn't belong. Many villagers and tourists visited the museum, but that was as far as they got. There weren't signs posted, no real markings saying that they were on personal property, there just seemed to be an unspoken understanding that there were areas that specifically belonged to the tribe.

The museum was one of my favorite places to be, and not just because Maggie was on the council and would let me hang out there whenever I wanted. But that was a perk. We passed the huge pane glass windows and I stared inside. I had nearly every piece of artwork memorized, but always searched for something new. I loved art so much. I supposed that was why I took up painting, although my work was never going to be something that could be hung in a museum. I just couldn't see someone staring at one of my paintings. That would just be weird.

"Have you been in lately?" Konai asked, pointing towards the doors. I knew they were closed on Sundays, so I knew he wasn't asking to stop. "Yes, a few days ago. Maggie got a shipment of pottery and furs and wanted to show me, she gets really excited about things like that." "I'm sure she does. Would you like to go with me sometime?" He stared at our entwined fingers and then back at me.

"I bet I could show you things you've never seen before." His eyes seemed to focus on my reaction.

Not likely, I'd been in there far too many times, and Maggie always told me about new shipments. "Sure, I'll go with you, but I've got the place memorized, it's not like there's anywhere else to go on a Friday night." I smiled and paused at the street corner and something white drifted in front of my face. I gazed up into the sky and watched as a million tiny white flakes started to fall.

"Okay, then I bet I could show you something you've never noticed before." He said quietly. I smiled and shrugged my shoulders. Maybe he could, but I'd never really seen him in there, other than the times when he would sit at the front desk waiting for Kaida and I to get done wandering around on days she and I were bored.

I pointed up at the sky. "I told you so."

His face had gone a bit serious, but he smiled when he saw the flakes slowly falling towards us. "Want me to hurry you home?"

The snow wasn't really falling that fast, and we were both wearing jackets. Plus, I didn't really want to give him up yet. "No, I'm good." Walking hand in hand with him, I was VERY good. He took a moment to zip up his jacket and we turned the corner, heading up the street that would eventually lead to my house.

We walked a few more blocks when Konai's steps slowed. "Andy...." his voice was so quiet I almost didn't hear him. I stopped and looked at him, but he was staring off into the distance. I followed is line of sight, and he was staring across the street into Nutara Park.

"Would you mind if we stopped here for a few minutes?" His tone was soft, and almost.... worried. He didn't look back at me, just stared out at the parks edge where it met the skyline. "Sure Konai, why?" "I just... I thought we could talk. If that's okay with you?" He looked skeptical, like he was afraid I would say no. Why would I say no? It was just that much more time I would get to spend with him.

I nodded my head and turned to walk through the small chain-link entrance. The park was small but beautiful, lined on the back edge by rows and rows of Sitka Spruce and Red Alder trees, before the land plummeted down into the slopes leading to the old hunting and hiking trails. The view from the western most edge of the park was spectacular. It was so high up you could see the road wrap around and lead down into the rest of Wapatau.

He walked all the way to the swings, nearest the outline of trees. He sat down in one and I did the same. The snow fell thicker around us, but neither of us seemed to care. The snow continued to fall, and I stared at Konai, wondering what he wanted to talk about. A few moments passed and he pulled something out of his jacket pocket and handed it to me.

"I thought you might like this, it's the only one I could find of them." He watched as I took the piece of paper from his hand. It wasn't a piece of paper, it was a photograph. It was a bit fuzzy, but I could make out the shadowed profiles of a man and woman looking at each other, there was something very bright behind them, probably a fire, making it impossible to see their features. I couldn't see the details in their faces, but I knew exactly who they were.

"Konai." I inhaled a shaky breath. "These are my parents."

My throat closed then, and I stared at the picture. I could just make out the curve of my moms braid, and the short, curly disarray of hair that was my fathers. The tips looked nearly blond through the firelight. I had never seen a picture of them together, I had never actually seen a picture of my father. Even though it was only a profile, he looked handsome, his features strong. It was so obvious that he was staring directly at my mom, and she was staring back, and they were both smiling.

Konai cleared his throat. "That's their wedding. My mom took the picture. She showed it to me once, and I remembered it was tucked in the back of that photo album." I looked at him, unable to put what I felt into words. He smiled softly at me, "I just thought you should have something of your parents, both of them. I hope that's okay."

"It's wonderful." I took a deep breath to steady my emotions, then tucked it gently into my coat pocket. "Thank you for giving it to me." "You're welcome." He was staring at me, so intently, that I knew there was more he wanted to say.

"Konai, what did you want to talk about?"

He looked away and swung his legs out, the swing gliding smoothly forward. He stopped on the backswing, but didn't look at me.

"Andrea, why do you love me?"