I nodded. I remembered all too well what it was like to be searching for a home and worrying about surviving the night in a strange place.
“Hey!” yelled Rob from the boat. “Come on, guys! We can’t wait out here all night!”
“Get in the canoe, Bryn!” ordered Trip. “I’m coming to get you.”
I faced Trip. “You might as well just go. I’m not leaving here unless they can come, too.”
Trip’s face screwed up in anger, and his grip on the pole tightened until his arms shook. But then he released it and his face dropped into its regular mask of prideful beauty. “They can get in. But when we get back, I’m talking to Kowi, and then they’ll be sent away. And you’ll have to deal with what you’ve done tonight, too.”
I was so tempted to mock him, I had to literally bite my tongue to keep from saying anything. Paci put his hand on my back for a second and said quietly. “Just take a breath. Don’t say anything else until we’re in front of Kowi.”
I nodded once.
“Who’s this Kowi guy?” asked Jamal. “He someone we should be worried about?”
Paci moved to help bring the canoe closer, wading out into the water, so I answered.
“Kowi is one of the chiefs. Trip is the other. They decide who can stay and go in the swamp.”
“Two chiefs? Is that normal?” asked Ronald.
“In this world? Yeah.” I glanced back at them, and they were looking at each other, shrugging. I really didn’t get any vibes at all that they had ulterior motives or were working for canners. Other than the fact they’d made it all the way here from Tampa alive, there was no reason to suspect their story. I knew Jimmy and Sissy weren’t canners.
“So where’s that Bodo guy?” asked Ronald.
I cleared my throat and looked at the ground. “We … uh … had a little problem with some canners who live in town.”
“Oh, man. I am so sorry. That’s bad. Really. My fault, my fault. I should’ve kept my mouth shut.”
“You talk too much, Ronnie,” said Jamal. “Sorry to hear about him. About Bodo.”
“Don’t worry about it,” I said, willing the tears away. Bodo is not dead. He is not dead. He’s just … stuck somewhere and waiting for me to come get him. Which I was going to do sooner than soon. My leg was hurting, but not as much as I would have expected after jumping in the water and swimming to shore. That meant I’d be ready to go in just a few days, max.
Don’ t worry, Bodo. I’m coming! I looked out towards the town, back in the direction of the house we’d blown up, sending vibes out to him just in case he was able to pick them up.
The canoe pulled up onto the sand, distracting me from my thoughts of my boyfriend. We all got in carefully, Ronald and Jamal almost gingerly. Jamal, the tougher-seeming of the two, looked like he was going to have a heart attack.
“What’s the matter?” I asked jokingly. “Can’t swim?”
“No,” said Jamal in a tight voice.
“You’re kidding,” said Paci, clearly not believing him.
“No, he’s not kidding. Neither of us can swim.”
“But you’re from Tampa!” I said. “How can two guys from Tampa, on the coast, not know how to swim?”
“Black people don’t swim, okay?” said Ronald. “Everyone knows that.”
“Whaaat? You’re nuts,” I said. “I know for a fact that LaShay swims.”
“Who’s LaShay?” asked Ronald. Jamal seemed incapable of speech right now. He was staring out at the water with stark fear etched into his face.
“She’s a girl who lives with us. And she’s black and she can swim like crazy, even with … well, never mind. She can swim her butt off.”
“Well, she’s special then. Because none of my friends could swim and neither could anyone in my family.”
“And yet you came to live in the swamp,” said Trip, his words dripping with sarcasm. “Brilliant.”
“You live here, and the place is full of gators and snakes and whatnot. Didn’t stop you,” said Ronald.
“I’ve lived here my whole life,” Trip argued.
“In the swamp? I don’t think so,” challenged Ronald.
“Whatever,” said Trip, angrily. “Doesn’t matter if you can swim or not because you’re not staying.”
Ronald said nothing, looking to me for support. I patted him on the hand, shaking my head at him so he’d stop talking. It wouldn’t serve their purposes at all to remind Trip that I held the tie-breaking vote right now, so I wasn’t going to say a word either. All I had to do was convince Kowi this was a good idea, and it was a done deal.
The kids living here hadn’t turned my family away; no way was I turning Ronald and Jamal away. We needed to build our community, not isolate it. And this was the first step - letting settlers join us.
***
The canoe pulled up and Trip sent out a birdcall to whoever was listening. I couldn’t remember what it meant, but nobody showed up with guns or other weapons, so apparently it wasn’t the attack call. We all got out and walked to the ceremonial hut. Everyone in the two tribes was waiting.
“Wow. Word travels fast,” I said to Paci.“Yeah.” He looked down at me. “Listen … I have to go stand with Kowi, but I’m with you in spirit, okay? Don’t let Trip intimidate you.”
I smiled. “Don’t worry. I won’t.”
Before I realized what he was going to do, he bent over and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. I was momentarily stunned, giving him time to walk away before I could react. I was left standing there like a dumb statue.
Peter caught my attention from across the crowded space, giving me bug-eyes and raised eyebrows. I knew exactly what he meant, and didn’t need to hear what he had to say on the matter. He was making his way over to me, shoving through the people as politely as he could. I prayed he wouldn’t want to talk to me about that kiss right now. We had bigger fish to fry.
Trip and Paci were talking to Kowi now, and he was listening intently. The crowd was murmuring, everyone whispering or talking in low tones with each other. The only ones missing were the kids we’d rescued from the canner place. Must be considered tribe business only. I wonder why they let Peter come if that’s the case. I was glad they had, though. At least I had two people on my side.
Winky waved at me from across the hut and I waved back, trying to smile my thanks for her support; but I’m afraid it came off as more of a grimace because she frowned, her hand dropping. She whispered to the person next to her - Mandy, if I was seeing properly - and they both started pushing through the crowd headed my way.
A few seconds later, Winky was next to me, casting furtive glances at Jamal and Ronald who were standing just a foot away.
“What the heck is going on?” she asked. Mandy stood next to her waiting for my answer.
“These guys heard about me from someone we met on the road, on our way down here. They’re asking to stay.”
“Is Trip going to let them?” asked Mandy.
“He doesn’t want to.”
“I was going to say …,” said Mandy. “He’s not usually the welcoming type.”
“So what’s the deal? If Trip said no, why are they still here?” asked Winky.
“Because I said yes,” I said simply.
Mandy and Winky took one look at each other and started giggling.
“What’s so funny?” I asked, feeling uncomfortable that I was being laughed at.
Winky put her hand on my arm. “We’re not laughing at you. Get that look off your face. We’re laughing because we know how pissed Trip is right now. He’s going to be a miserable beast for days now, you know.”
I smiled. “It’s not my fault he’s a pain in the ass who won’t see reason.”
“What’d you do? How’d you convince him to give them a chance?” asked Mandy.
“Nothing much.”
Yokci leaned over my shoulder and filled them in. “She jumped out of the canoe and refused to get back in until he agreed to let them come and talk to Kowi.”
Winky’s eyes bugged out. “No friggin’ way!”
I nodded. “My leg’s killing me, too. Don’t tell Trip, though.”
Mandy looked down. “You idiot. That thing’s gonna get infected. You’d better go get it cleaned right now.”
“I will when this is over. Looks like I’m up, anyway,” I said, watching Kowi detach himself from Trip’s angry diatribe and come over slowly to where we were standing in our small group. Peter had made it to my side finally and grabbed my hand, squeezing it in support.
“So, Bryn. You’ve brought some visitors into Kahayatle,” Kowi said soberly, looking first at Ronald and then Jamal.
The two brothers stood up straighter, maybe not even realizing they’d done it. They looked so full of both pride and fear, my heart ached for them. I knew what it meant, to finally find a home after feeling so alone and scared. It made me even more resolved to do the right thing.
“Yes. I have. And I’d like for them to be able to stay.”
“Why should we let them? Trip makes several good points. We don’t know who they are. They bring two more mouths to feed. They can’t swim.” His last point was said with a certain amount of incredulity.
“You didn’t know who I was, or Peter or Bodo, but you let us stay. We have plenty of food to feed two more … in fact, many more. And they can learn to swim.”
Ronald looked fearfully at Jamal. Jamal’s mouth thinned, but he said nothing.
“You fought for and won your right to stay. And if we let these two in, maybe we can feed them, but then more will come, and more and more. We can’t feed every stray kid who wanders into the swamp.”
“I’ll fight for their right then, if it’s a fight you want. And why can’t we feed everyone who comes? We have crops, animals … everything we need to start over.” I grabbed Kowi’s hands, surprising us both. “Don’t you see?” I looked over at Trip, including him in my plea. “Our only hope of survival is building our community and sharing. We can’t stay isolated and hope to keep our home. The more desperate kids get out there, the more they’re going to band together for survival. And the bigger their gangs get, the smaller we get in comparison! We have to bring in all the non-canner kids we can and show them we can live without the violence and without the craziness.” My eyes darted between the two leaders. “Don’t you see? It’s the only way.”
Kowi pulled his hands from mine and backed up several steps to stand next to Trip. He turned to his friend and they shared a look. Trip whispered in his ear for a few seconds and Kowi nodded, putting his fingers up to pinch the bridge of his nose after.
The entire group went silent. Everyone was waiting with bated breath, on pins and needles, wondering what the verdict would be. Finally, Kowi spoke.
“This decision is too important to make right now. Trip and I are going to discuss it tonight and tomorrow, and let you know what we think at dinner tomorrow night. These two can stay until then, but if we decide they have to leave, they have to agree to go without a fight. If they can’t agree to this now, they have to go now.”
I looked to Ronald and Jamal for their agreement. It wasn’t what I had hoped for, but it wasn’t a no either. They both nodded their heads.
“Fine. Bryn, you take them to your place tonight. We’ll bring food you guys can eat there. And we’ll see you at dinner tomorrow.”
“Does this mean her training sessions are cancelled for tomorrow?” asked Peter.
“Yes,” said Kowi.