The Enclave of Jyme (G Street Chronicles Presents) (9 page)

“If you get snot on my brand new shirt my little sister bought me, she’s going to kick your ass,” I teased. She pulled back from me then and looked me over.

“You look so nice,” she choked out.

I picked her up and started tickling her until she stopped crying. Everyone gave her birthday hugs, and the DJ started the music up.

About an hour into the party, Mom announced it was time for Patty to open her presents. There was a table full of gifts, and I knew we’d be here a while. Patty was everybody’s best friend on the Res. Everyone loved her and spoiled her almost as much as I did. I made sure my present was last, so I sat in the back of the tent watching her. She waved for me to come over with her a few times, but I shook my head. She kept looking at me and then at Mom, but neither one of us said a word about the unfortunate events earlier.

Patty was down to her last two gifts so I picked my gift up off the table. She was on her last gift now and I recognized the bag. It was the gift Elle had with her when she was in the truck. Patty pulled the box out -- a hot pink speaker mount for her phone. Patty loved music and she was always singing even if she couldn’t hold a tune.

“Oh, my gosh, I love it, I love it!” she looked at the tag and placed the speaker back in the bag and turned around. Patty had thanked each and every person when she opened their gifts, but she didn’t do this with Elle. She didn’t even acknowledge her and that made me proud. I looked over at Elle and she looked crushed.

“Who was that one from?” someone in the crowd asked.

“Wait, there’s one more,” I said a little too loudly, trying to get everyone’s attention off the last gift. I handed Patty a black and brown box. She looked at me as I sat down next to her. Mom and Dad moved in closer too. She pulled the black top off the box and looked inside. She pulled out a set of keys and then the papers.

“I told you I didn’t need a new car,” she scolded me.

“I know that. That’s why I didn’t get you one.”

“Well then, what’s this?” she held the keys up.

“If you would read.”

She rolled her eyes at me and then looked at the paperwork.

“P.S.?” she asked.

“Yeah, they say it’s some new swanky boutique in downtown Port Angeles,” I said.

Patty’s hand flew to her mouth and she rifled through the papers and then she saw the five photos on the box. Two were before the renovations, one during the renovations, and two were after. I had purchased Patty a boutique of her very own -- P.S. for Patty Samson.

About thirty minutes into Patty completely soaking my shirt with her tears, the caterers brought the cake out. I was getting Patty’s first slice of the cake when my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out and was about to check it when Patty said she wanted strawberry ice-cream. The caterers had big carton tubs of ice cream on the opposite side of the cake. I sat my phone down next to Patty and went to get her ice cream. I was on my way back with her strawberry and my chocolate when I heard the chuckles.

“Man, you haven’t had enough of that chocolate have you?” Sheen said while Loon and Kanoke laughed. I shook my head at the three of them and then I heard the screaming.

“You fucking bitch…what did you do to him this time?” Patty screamed at Elle’s table. Patty stood and ran over to Elle, knocking the table over. Elle gave the baby to her mother and then she stood in front of Patty. Everyone that was sitting at Elle’s table had moved far away from the two women. The DJ stopped the music and now everyone’s attention was on the two of them. I dropped both bowls of ice cream and ran over to Patty.

“You’re trying to blackmail him; you fucking bitch? He doesn’t want your skank ass. You’re nothing to him. Stop trying to bring my brother down with you!” Patty screamed. I stood behind Patty knowing that if she wanted to fight Elle there was nothing I could do but let her.

“What happened?” I asked.

“She said if you don’t take her back that she would tell everyone you raped her and that she could make it look real,” Patty said while she kept her eyes on Elle. Elle looked around the backyard with embarrassment.

“I didn’t say that!” Elle yelled. Patty slapped Elle in the face and then punched her in the throat. I wrapped my arms around Patty and drug her away from the scene. Elle was on the ground choking.

“And that’s for lying, bitch!” Patty yelled while I pulled her into the house. I’d never been more proud of my little sister than right at that very moment.

Chapter 5

I woke up early the next morning and knew I only needed to take a few things with me on this journey. My new truck would be here in less than an hour and I had to get a few things straight here on the Res. I thought long and hard about what the elder said last night. I didn’t have to be here and I wasn’t going to be any longer. I was taking a month off from work; Loon and Sheen would handle the business for me. I was starting a new life in the city and I was going to find the
real
me. I’d been supporting my family since I was in middle school. My dad had always been a drunk. I never understood why my mother stayed with him. She’d told me over and over that love makes you do strange things. My Grand told me that my father has demons he hasn’t conquered yet.

My father didn’t talk about his childhood a lot; but from what Patty and I gathered, this was a pattern and it would stop with him. My grandfather, my great, my great great, and my great great great grandfather were all alcoholics, according to Grand. She said the Samson men had been like this for years. I refused to be like him; he’s never consciously there. I remembered that when I was young, my father used to sit me on his shoulders and we went fishing all the time, until one day it just stopped.

I called Loon and told him I was taking the month off.

“Man…what?”

“I’m taking the month off. You got everything?”

“I mean…yeah, but is everything good with you?

“Yeah, I just need some time to sort this shit out.”

“All of this is because of last night and yesterday?”

“Some, but not all.”

“What are you going to do?” he asked.

“I’m just going to drive to the city and…you know…I don’t know.”

“Start over?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

“I understand.”

And I knew Loon would. He left a long time ago and had no desire to come back; but I didn’t want Loon’s life. I’m proud of my roots and I would never try to hide that. But I had to find my own; be my own man.

“I’m about to tell Mom so wish me luck.”

“Shit, you’re going to need it,” he laughed.

I hung up and walked barefoot across the lawn to Mom’s. The front door was wide open and I could smell food on the stove. When the screen door shut behind me, Mom looked up. She gave me a big smile and I smiled back.

“You’re up bright and early,” she beamed.

“I know,” I reached around her, gave her a kiss on the cheek, and stole a piece of bacon from the plate. She popped my hand with her wooden spoon.

“Sneaky devil,” she said. I gave her a crooked smile and she shook her head. She continued to cook while I sat there.

“What is it?” she asked without looking at me. She continued to stir the pot on the stove and check the oven.

“I’m going to the city.”

“For how long?”

I didn’t answer.

“For how long?” she asked, louder this time; too loud for this size of a house.

“A while,” I admitted. She stopped stirring and wiped her hands on her apron. She put a glove on and pulled the casserole dish out the oven, sprinkled some cheese on it, and covered it with a towel.

“Why?”

“It’s time, Mom,” I said.

She shook her head and then she laughed. “Because of yesterday?” she asked with tears running down her face.

I had to turn from her. “It’s not just that.”

“Then what is it? I asked you why, so tell me,” she demanded.

Patty walked in from her old bedroom. She looked like she had a hangover and she barely made it down the hall before plopping down in a chair at the table. I leaned over and kissed her forehead before I got up and poured her a cup of coffee.

“Why are you guys talking so loud?” Patty asked.

“Your brother is leaving the Res and he won’t tell me why,” Mom yelled. She was opening and slamming cabinets now. Patty’s eyes widened and then she gave me a high five with big smile on her face. We made sure Mom wasn’t looking.

“Patty, do not encourage him!” she yelled, her eyes never set on either of us. This woman had an amazing talent to see without looking.

“But Mommy, there is nothing for him here. You want him to marry a local, but the local he had did him wrong. She’s a crooked bitch; and she’s poisoned his reputation here. All of the other girls are too scared of him.” Patty gave me an
I’m sorry
face and placed her hand on top of mine.

“Mommy, he can’t keep living like this. He’s a grown man and he’s been grown since middle school. If he stays here, he’ll never find someone to share his life with.”

“He goes to the market every weekend; he can find someone there,” Mom cried out.

Patty stood and went to her. Mom was crying over the sink as she tried to hide her face from us. Patty wrapped her arms around her and squeezed her tight. I got up and went over; pulling them both into my arms. We stayed like that for a small eternity. Mom wouldn’t stop crying. She finally told Patty to watch the stove and she went to go lay down. She said she had a headache.

That afternoon, I packed my one suitcase in my brand new Ford Expedition. I had ordered a fully loaded, tuxedo black, moon roof, King Ranch with red leather seats. I had two rows of seats in the back which were heated and cooled. I had the voice activated navigation system put in. I also got the heavy-duty trailer tow and the power lift gate. This truck was a monster.

Mom was trying her best to be strong, but she was failing terribly. Dad gave me a pat on the back and walked back over to the house. He was a man of very few words. He only got chatty when he was completely wasted. Mom kissed me a dozen times before finally letting me go. I promised her I would be back in two weeks and that I would see her next weekend at the market. I was taking this weekend off to get myself settled in the city.

“Don’t talk to strangers, and don’t give anybody a ride,” she blubbered.

“Yes, Ma’am.”

She kissed me one last time and ran back to the house. I drove away from the reservation and I could feel the weight lifting from my body immediately. I didn’t take the ferry to the city. I wanted to enjoy the ride through the peaceful Olympic Forrest.

Hours later when I made it to Seattle, I decided to get a room in one of the nice hotels. I checked my phone to find the hotel with the most stars. The Fairmont was the best hotel according to the ratings. I pulled up at the hotel and the valet eyed me before rushing over. I let the window down.

“Sir, are you visiting or staying?” the young athletically-built boy asked me.

“I think I’m staying,” I said.

He gave me a puzzled look then grinned. “Do you have a reservation?”

“Not yet.”

“Sir, have you ever stayed at The Fairmont before?” he asked, seriously this time.

“No.”

“Well, welcome to The Fairmont and I know you’ll enjoy your stay,” he opened the door and I jumped out of the truck. He opened the back hatch and pulled out my one suitcase.

“Does this thing have a hemi?” he asked jokingly, coming from the back of the truck. I didn’t laugh at his little joke; I just stared at the young pale boy. His nametag said
Brian
on it. He cleared his throat and handed me a ticket.

“Ron, his bag please,” Brian told the other guy standing by the podium.

“That’s okay, Ron. I got it. Brian climbed into the truck, shut the door, and drove off. I looked over at the other valet and he was smiling at me. I turned away from him quickly and stepped toward the hotel’s entrance. There were three large poles with flags hanging from them. The two doormen smiled at me and opened both doors for me to walk through. They wore long, blue coats with sailor looking shit all over with a sailor hat to match. Their black shoes were shiny, and their pants were starched stiff.

The hotel looked like a large hospital from the outside. It would be a very expensive hospital, but it did look like one. Once I entered, I thought I was in the ballroom from the
Titanic
. Patty loved that movie and made me watch it so many times with her. No matter how many times she’d seen it, she’d snot and cry when Rose let Jack just die in the water. I hated the movie because Rose was lying there telling Jack she’d never let go and that’s exactly what the liar did. The hotel looked like that scene when Jack was waiting on Rose by the staircase.

The wood was glossy and smelled freshly polished. Everything had a glossy look to it. The lobby was full of furniture and flowers. There was a second story inside the lobby, and people were walking all around the hotel. I walked up two sets of steps and then I saw the front desk. I walked over and waited behind two people already being serviced. I stood behind a blonde woman in a gray, tight skirt suit with high-heeled shoes.