Stone river crossing, p.18
Stone River Crossing, page 18
An idea struck him, so strong he bounced against the tree trunk. “I know what I must do,” he whispered. “Yes! And quickly!” He dashed to the house and poured his herbal tea in a cup of warm red clay.
“Shonti!” he shouted, as she neared the house. “I made a cup of tea for you. Please, will you be so sweet as to taste it? Let me know if you like it.”
“Funi Man? Is this another crazy Funi Man joke? What’s going on?”
“Just sip the tea, please. No joke. I promise.”
Shonti shook her head in wonder. “Hoke,” she said. “Give me the cup, but if this is a joke, I’ll call my rattlesnakes. I’m warning you!”
Funi Man said nothing. His wide eyes stared at her, touching every inch of her soft skin. As she sipped the tea, Shonti spotted her empty bowl, lying by the tree trunk. Funi Man drank the herbal tea! He is falling in love. With me!
She swallowed every drop of tea, then dropped the cup.
CHAPTER 47
Wedding Plans
News of the impending wedding of Funi Man and Shonti soon had Choctaw town in the throes of laugher. In the days leading up to the wedding, people smiled more than ever. People woke up laughing for no reason, even serious-minded people.
“Why are you laughing?” wives asked their husbands, but no one ever answered that question, or if they did, no one heard them. They were too busy laughing. Every Choctaw felt like they now had permission to do the silliest, funniest things they could imagine. Just like Funi Man!
Children dug up worms from the riverbank and dangled them from their fingers, wondering where would be the funniest place to put them. Older brothers caught harmless snakes and wondered who needed them in their beds the most. Husbands scared their wives with handmade claws, and wives hid beetles in their husbands’ britches.
Four days after Funi Man sipped Shonti’s brew, the Choctaw council met in a special short session, called by Hattak Chula. Koi Losa and Lil Mo sat outside the council shelter, along with a hundred other Choctaws, and listened to the meeting called to discuss the wedding.
“Let us talk about this wedding,” Hattak Chula said, opening the meeting.
“Which wedding?” asked Blue Doe, and everyone laughed.
“The traditional wedding might not work here,” said Hattak Chula, ignoring both the question and the laughter. “The bride is always given a head start in her run to the wedding pole, as you know. If she reaches the pole before the groom catches her, the wedding is off.”
After a long pause, Blue Doe asked, “What is the problem?”
“Funi Man is older than any groom I can ever remember,” Hattak Chula said, “and I am an old man.”
“Yes?” Blue Doe asked.
“Well, as an old man,” Hattak Chula said, “I cannot see myself dashing across a field after a woman, racing her to a pole with everybody in town watching.”
“So,” asked Blue Doe with a smile, “if you had not met your wife till you were an old man, you would not think she was worth running after?” Everyone in the council tried to hide their laughter, but only for a moment. When Hattak Chula stumbled trying to reply, they laughed along with everyone else.
“Of course I would run after her!” he declared.
“Well, you wouldn’t catch me, not if we had to do it again!” said his wife, slipping through the crowd and entering the shelter.
“Where did you come from?” asked Hattak Chula.
“I followed you here,” she replied. “Blue Doe told me I might want to be here.”
“You tricked me!” said Hattak Chula, turning to Blue Doe.
“So,” asked Blue Doe, “can an old man run or not?”
“Of course, if his love is true!” said Hattak Chula, having learned his lesson. “I would crawl on my knees to marry my lovely wife!”
His skinny bride of forty-seven years folded her arms and tightened her lips. “You’d better!” she said.
“Then we can have a traditional wedding, with no special favors for Funi Man?” Blue Doe asked.
“Funi Man with the limping leg?” asked Hattak Chula. “Yes, hoke, we will all gather to watch Funi Man try to catch Shonti.” He frowned, knowing his friend Funi Man would be the joke of his own wedding day. Then the frown left his face. He smiled and finally laughed out loud.
“You are right!” he declared. “Who deserves laughter on his wedding day more than our very own Funi Man!” The Choctaws cheered and laughed, and men lifted anyone light enough to throw. In a show of strength, several women even lifted their skinny-boned husbands!
“Should we warn Funi Man?” Koi Losa asked.
“What good would that do?” Lil Mo replied. “He is in love. I never had a chance to give the potion to Martha Tom, but Funi Man is getting married! How did this happen?”
Deep in the swamps, at the bottom of a warm hole, four Bohpoli enjoyed a warm stew for breakfast.
“What a time we’ve had!” said the eldest. “I haven’t slept for a week!”
“None of us have,” said another. “Between Funi Man and Shonti . . .”
“ . . . and Lil Mo and Martha Tom . . .”
“ . . . and Koi Losa and — ”
“Wait! Koi Losa! We are forgetting about Koi Losa!”
“Yes,” admitted the elder Bohpoli, “we are forgetting about Koi Losa, and we will continue to forget about Koi Losa. Let him have some peace. He can fall in love later.”
“Besides,” said another, “we need a little peace ourselves.”
“Even Bohpolis need sleep!”
But sleep was not in the offing for the Bohpolis, for the wedding day was nearing.
As he did every Sunday, Joseph stood at the crossing place, hoping to see his friend. Weeks had passed with no Lil Mo. Joseph often wandered by the river before sunrise, when he would not be seen. Sometimes, as the sun fell behind the thick cedar groves on the Choctaw side, he stood and stared at the moon. When the full moon waned, he felt Lil Mo growing further and further away from him.
“Friends forever,” he often recalled. “Lil Mo and Joseph, friends forever.”
Without thinking or realizing what he was doing, Joseph sometimes threw a stone across the river to the shady shore where Lil Mo used to stand.
On the final Sunday before the wedding day he tossed a stone, and when he looked up, there stood Lil Mo! Within half an hour, Joseph pulled Lil Mo’s boat ashore.
“I brought Ofijo,” Lil Mo said. “So I probably better not stay long. I knew you’d want to see him.”
“Thanks,” said Joseph. He smiled so big Lil Mo laughed.
“You look like a happy possum,” Lil Mo said. “Grinning and grinning!”
“I feel like a happy possum!” Joseph said, laughing. “It’s good to see you!”
“Why don’t you climb in my boat? Let’s cross over. Shonti and Funi Man will want to see you!”
“Good idea!” Joseph said. “Where have you been? I’ve been worried.”
“I’ve had a hard time. A witch owl came into town, and I was sick for a while.”
“Sick?”
“Well, even worse than that,” said Lil Mo. “Come aboard and I’ll tell you about it, at least what I remember.”
“You are talking in riddles,” said Joseph, climbing into the boat. “What happened to you?”
“Funi Man can tell you better than I can,” said Lil Mo, pushing the boat into the river. Ofijo barked and leapt into Joseph’s lap.
“Good boy,” Joseph said. “Good to see you. Did you miss me?”
Ofijo snapped a friendly bark and licked Joseph on the cheek.
“I think that means yes,” said Lil Mo. When the boat landed, he jumped out and dragged the boat to a thick clump of bushes, covering it with pine boughs. “Now, let’s find Funi Man,” he said.
“So other than you and this witch owl, what’s been going on in Choctaw town?” Joseph asked.
“Hoke, are you ready?” said Lil Mo. “Funi Man and Shonti are getting married!”
“I thought they were too old to get married,” said Joseph.
“Love knows no age — at least that’s what Funi Man tells me. I’ll let him tell you himself. He’s not the same old man he was before.”
As they approached Shonti’s house, Lil Mo lowered his voice before speaking. “Funi Man’s house was burned to the ground,” he said. “We think the witch had something to do with it.”
Joseph stopped. “Lil Mo,” he asked, “are you all right? What are you not telling me?”
“I am all right now,” said Lil Mo. “But this witch was a man who changed into an owl. I know it sounds crazy. Joseph, I saw everything through the owl man’s eyes. For several days I trusted no one. I am glad you didn’t see me then.”
“You know I would have done everything I could to help you,” said Joseph. “Lil Mo and Joseph, friends forever. Remember?”
“Of course I remember,” Lil Mo said, with a deep breath and a smile. “Still true. Lil Mo and Joseph, friends forever.”
“Wait, Lil Mo,” said Joseph. “Did I hear you say Funi Man was marrying Shonti? Rattlesnake woman Shonti?”
“Shhhh!” said Lil Mo. He looked over his shoulder and grabbed Joseph’s arm. “We don’t call her that, not on this side!” Lil Mo laughed out loud. “Joseph, things are different here, more different than I ever thought. We have a lot to talk about!”
As they entered Choctaw town, the sound of chanting filled the street.
Ya da hada yamma,
Ya da hada yamma,
Yada hada yamma,
Yada ha ya ma!
“The friendship chant,” said Lil Mo. “They sing it all day long now. This is a happy time for Choctaws. Two of the elders are getting married.”
“Lil Mo,” said Joseph, with a shy tremble in his voice.
“What is it?”
“Can a nahollo come to the wedding? I want to be there!”
“Would you? Yes!” Lil Mo shouted. “Of course you can come! This is great news!”
“I have to ask first,” said Joseph. “Would it be safe?”
“Yes,” said Lil Mo. “No Bledsoe. No witch owl. You would be safe, I promise.”
“And no rattlesnakes?”
“I can’t promise that,” said Lil Mo.
They soon approached Shonti’s house, and Lil Mo stood outside the door. “Shonti, can we come in?” he asked. “It’s me, Lil Mo, and I have my friend Joseph. Is it hoke to come inside?”
Shonti was gone, but Lil Mo pushed open the door and found Funi Man sleeping behind a curtain in his corner of the house. “Funi Man,” he shouted, shaking him gently. “When did you put a curtain up?”
“Uh, halito, Lil Mo,” said Funi Man, waking up and smacking his lips. “Shonti said I should not see my bride till after the wedding.”
“You can’t see her? How do you do that? You two live in the same house.”
“Yes,” said Funi Man. “It is not easy. I have to call out for Shonti to hide herself whenever I step out from my tiny little corner.”
“Men sure do a lot for love,” Lil Mo observed.
“More than you’ll ever know,” agreed Funi Man. “Well, maybe not more than you will ever know.”
“Yes,” said Lil Mo, “if I remember right, this whole wedding started off because of me and Martha Tom.”
“That seems like a lifetime ago,” Funi Man said.
“But look who came to visit!” Lil Mo shouted. “Joseph, come here!”
Joseph eagerly stepped around the curtain.
“Joseph!” Funi Man said. “Great to see you, son. Will you come to the wedding?”
“I hope so,” Joseph said, smiling and shaking Funi Man’s hand.
Funi Man’s eyes still had a strong spark of life, but they now harbored something else as well — the pains of old age. His hair was grayer since chasing the witch owl, and his face held wrinkles that had only been tiny lines before the journey.
When Funi Man stood to greet Joseph, his hand went immediately to his right knee. He rubbed it with his thumb for a moment, saying, “I guess Lil Mo told you about the owl man?”
“Yes,” said Joseph. “He told me everything he knew.”
“Funi Man,” Lil Mo asked, “can we go outside and talk? About everything that has happened?”
They sat beneath the wide spread of an old oak tree. Funi Man boiled water over a fire circle. He took dried leaves from a pouch and sprinkled them over the water. “Lil Mo, can you bring three cups from the house?”
At that moment, Koi Losa appeared in their midst, jumping down from a limb just over their heads.
“Better bring four,” Funi Man said quietly. Nothing Koi Losa did surprised them anymore.
They waited without speaking. Funi Man poured the tea. He closed his eyes and sang a low chant, a blessing for the teaching moment to come.
Funi Man looked at Lil Mo, Koi Losa, and Joseph. “You are waiting for a story,” he said, “a teaching story from your old friend Funi Man.”
They nodded and waited.
“I remember my grandfather, my Choctaw amafo. I remember as clearly as if it happened this morning, the morning when I came to visit him. After breakfast he patted me on the shoulder and led me outside to a circle of stones behind his house. Thick logs surrounded the stones, and we sat down close to each other.
“He said to me, ‘You are waiting for a story, a teaching story from your Choctaw grandfather.’ I nodded and waited. He said to me what I will now say to you.
“My days of teaching and telling stories are over. Your time has come. I am passing the stories to you, and you must carry them and pass them on.”
The afternoon sun settled behind the pine trees, and long shadows stretched across the clearing. Lil Mo, Joseph, and Koi Losa sat without speaking for a long moment. Lil Mo and Koi Losa looked at each other. Their friend was growing older. Funi Man had shared a memory that few living Choctaws knew. For the first time, Koi Losa and Lil Mo realized that Funi Man needed them. He always seemed the strong one, the teacher.
“Can I tell you what you are thinking?” Funi Man asked.
“Hoke,” said Koi Losa, and Lil Mo nodded. Neither laughed, as they would have a month ago.
“You are thinking something I have known for a long time. The day will come when I depend on you, both of you. Maybe you, too, Joseph. Maybe that day is already here.”
Together, as if they spoke in the same voice, Koi Losa and Lil Mo repeated words they had learned from Funi Man, their teacher. He would remember this moment as one of the proudest of his life.
“Ilvppa ittibai foyuka,” they said. “We are all in this together.”
“Yes,” said Funi Man. “Ilvppa ittibai foyuka.”
“Funi Man,” Lil Mo said quietly, “are you happy? Can you be happy again?”
Funi Man shook with soft laughter. “Yes, I am very happy, happy in a quieter way. I am happy seeing the dried leaves fall from this old red oak tree. I know they will wrinkle and crack and sink into the ground. Some new plant will take the leaves as food and grow strong. I don’t have to do anything. That happens whether I am here or not.”
“Turn your head and close your eyes, Funi Man!” Shonti called from the house. “Somebody has to cook around here, and I guess you men just want to talk. I am setting a pot of tobi walhali on the porch.”
“Boiled beans!” Lil Mo said. “I am hungry!”
“I see you’ve not forgotten your English!” said Funi Man.
“Now that’s funny,” Lil Mo said, glad to be with his friend again. “Come on, Joseph!”
The boys helped Funi Man to the porch, where four bowls, four spoons, and a steaming pot of tobi walhali waited for them.
“Lil Mo,” Shonti whispered to Lil Mo, “I made some banaha bread, too. I know Funi Man loves bread cooked in the corn shucks. Is he all right?”
“He is good, and he’ll be better after the wedding.”
“I think he misses seeing you,” said Joseph.
“He will just have to wait,” Shonti replied. From behind the door came the whirring sound of a rattlesnake. Joseph shivered and looked to Lil Mo for help.
“Hoke,” said Lil Mo, “we understand!”
CHAPTER 48
Surprise for Lil Mo
On the wedding day of Shonti and Funi Man, every Choctaw with legs, and some without, circled the field and waited. Shonti and Funi Man had thousands of friends, and no one wanted to miss their wedding. Everyone knew this would be an unforgettable Choctaw day.
Bright colors gave a festive air to the gathering. Women wore their finest dresses; red and blue and green skirts swirled and swayed. Men wore brightly colored shirts, too, with diamond-back rattlesnake designs crawling down the sleeves.
“Am I seeing what I think I’m seeing?” Lil Mo asked, as he and Koi Losa and Joseph approached the gathering.
“What do you think you are seeing?” asked Koi Losa.
“I see snakes wrapped around women’s dresses and men’s shirts. Tell me I’m wrong. Please.”
Koi Losa laughed loudly, saying, “Lil Mo, you have seen a wedding before, remember?”
“That seems like another life, before I became Choctaw,” said Lil Mo.
“Choctaw women sew the rattlesnake diamonds on the nicest clothes,” Koi Losa said. “Ask Funi Man why. He’ll have a better answer than mine.”
Joseph walked in silence, with his jaw dropped and his eyes wide, staring at everything. “This is the biggest holiday I’ve ever seen in my life,” he finally said.
“We are glad you are here with us,” Koi Losa said. As he walked between his two newest friends, Koi Losa smiled in thought. He looked to his left, at Joseph, the son of a slave guard. To his right walked Lil Mo, the son of slave parents.
And here I walk, he thought, like never before. We walk together on this sacred day, so different by our skin, yet so alike in so many ways.
