“Welcome.”
Her greeting came as no surprise. “I can never slip up on you. You have cat’s eyes; you can see in the dark.”
Ela laughed softly. “I don’t need eyes to see. Sit down. I made venison stew.”
“Good. I’m starving.” He patted the saddlebags. “I brought beef, more venison, and vegetables from Fancy’s garden.” After seeing to his horse, he hoisted the provisions over his shoulder and made his way into the cave to check her supply of firewood. “I’ll gather more before I leave.”
“Ah, Reno. You are too good to me. You need to spend your time taking care of those children and not bother with an old woman like me.”
“The Stanton family is fine. I check on them regularly – as I know you do.” He gave her a grateful glance as he unloaded the bags and placed the items to one side for her to put up later. “I do wish you’d be more careful though. They live on the other side of the mountain, the trip is not a hop, skip, and a jump for you.”
She waved off his concern. “I am self-sufficient. As of yet, I haven’t been blessed with grandchildren and they make me happy.”
“Just as soon as this thing is over with Cole, I plan on breaking ground to build my own place. When I do, I’m moving everyone in with me – the Stanton’s, Cole, and you.” He gave her a wink as he removed his duster and draped it over a boulder in the back of the cave to dry.
This declaration made the old woman throw her head back and laugh. “I’ve never lived in a place with four walls and I never will. Most nights, I spend out under the stars. I love to gaze up into the heavens as sleep draws near.”
“I understand.” Finding a place next to the fire, Reno smiled sadly. “Many mornings I would find my mother sleeping out of doors. She said she could breathe so much easier.” Lifting his head, he watched as Ela filled two pottery bowls with stew. “You remind me so much of Sojourner, you know.”
“That’s a high compliment. From what you’ve told me, your mother was a great lady. Very brave. Anyone who traveled the Trail of Tears is to be honored.”
“Yea, she was forced from her home at the tip of a bayonet and made to walk from the coast of South Carolina to the Tennessee River. She would’ve gone much further…if she’d never met my father.”
“I recognize the bitter sweetness in your voice. It’s difficult to hate someone you love, isn’t it?”
“Yea.” He thought he’d been doing a pretty good job of it for years – until the day Cole came to tell him the old man was dead. Ela Blue joined Reno, placing the bowl of stew on the ground at his feet, then sitting on a pile of blankets next to him. “Thank you, ma’am. You know what gets me more than anything? Something I just can’t get out of my head?”
“Tell me,” she encouraged, placing her bowl next to his. She would eat when he ate.
Removing his hat, he held it by the brim, sliding his fingers around the edge. “She knew.”
“What?”
“She knew. All the time, from the beginning – she knew.”
“What did she know, Reno?”
He whistled out a breath of air, as if his lungs were too full.
“Everything. That my father would leave her. That he would take Cole and not me. How he would leave us to struggle without them.” He looked over at Ela. “Before she died, she told me the singing waters spoke to her many times. From the first night she stood by the river, she knew what the future held.” He paused, then shook his head. “Why would she do that? Why would she stay and marry him – knowing how it would all end?”
Ela stared at Reno for a few moments, staying nothing. Finally, she turned her head to gaze at the flames of the campfire. “You know the answer to that question.”
“Do I?”’ Reno dry-scrubbed his face, trying to sort his thoughts. “Because…she could see things would be worse for her further down the Trail of Tears?”
“No.”
He chuckled softly, nodding knowingly. “Of course not, she never put herself first. Even though she could see the heartbreak ahead, she stayed because of Cole…and me.”
“A mother’s love knows no end.” She nudged him. “By the by…you remind me of my oldest son.”
“I do?” Reno could hear both sadness and peace within her voice. “Tell me about him.”
Ela moved her head from side to side, as if she were refusing to speak, then she spoke softly. “He was a good man. I lost him last spring. Tyee was your age.”
“What happened to him?”
“Raiders came through. Ambushed him as he hunted. When he didn’t visit me as promised, I looked for him…” Her words trailed off.
“I’m sorry. Who killed him? Who were the raiders? Another tribe?”
“I fear not. Evil comes in many disguises.”
“What do you mean?” he asked, confused.
“I will say no more,” she told him solemnly. “The thread of fate must unwind in its own time.”
“What about your other children? Are they near enough to take care of you?”
“My beautiful daughter lives in the village. She attends to my needs, if I have them.” She pointed to his bowl. “Now, eat.”
“All right. You convinced me.” He dug into the savory
