Total pages in book: 197
Estimated words: 199143 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 996(@200wpm)___ 797(@250wpm)___ 664(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 199143 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 996(@200wpm)___ 797(@250wpm)___ 664(@300wpm)
Renzo blinked. “So, what is your name?”
Cree continued on from the previous topic like Renzo hadn’t asked a very important question, “Between my parents, they never let me forget where I came from even when for a long time, I did not know if that was who I wanted to be. Not that it mattered, I came to learn, because I cannot change who I am and I learned I didn’t want to.”
Renzo had the strangest urge to reach forward and grab one of the sticks. He held off, but then when Cree noticed his gaze, the man nodded in silent encouragement for him to do so. He did, arm trembling because he just couldn’t stop it anymore. He fumbled with the sticks in his fingers that no longer seemed to cooperate.
“I can’t do anything,” Renzo said.
“You will,” Cree replied simply. “Again, after some time.”
“I don’t want to hear that. I want—”
“To be who you were, but that isn’t who you are, New York. Circumstances change us. Or life. God. Women—in my case, a man. And so, we get the opportunity to be a better version of ourselves with a little time, care, and work.”
Renzo’s jaw tightened, but when Cree held out a long length of leather cord for him to take, he did. “I’ll never be able to get this tied around mine like you did for yours. My hands don’t do what I want them to anymore.”
“Maybe not today,” Cree agreed, “but on another day you will. See, that’s what where the work comes in, Ren. And I know you’re tired and you’re hurting and you feel broken, but none of those things mean you can’t work. Be grateful for your body, for your mind and your life, because there are a great many who cannot even hold the stick and the cord like you are right now. You’re doing something that a week ago, you might not have been able to do at all. So, next week, what else might you be able to do, hmm?”
Well ...
No one had said it quite like that before. It was always just you need to do physical therapy, Ren or let’s work on your memory.
“You know, you usually drive me crazy,” Renzo said. “I was told by the doctors that you make my blood pressure dangerously high, actually.”
“I still will,” Cree replied, wrapping the cord around the outer perimeter of his wheel. “Whenever I feel it’s needed.”
“Why would that be needed?”
Cree looked up from his work and grinned. “Depends on who needs it—you or me?”
That made Renzo laugh.
And shit.
He’d not done that in a while.
“What do the colors mean?” he asked.
“Well, first we start with the circle—it means life. The circle of life. Or all things. The thing about the colors is that meanings vary between tribes and nations. Some even use blue or green or purple in leu of black. To me, and to my father who taught me how to make my first medicine wheel shortly before he disappeared, the four colors mean many things and represent many elements. Life. Seasons. Medicine. Spirits. Each color must follow the proper direction—white is east, yellow is south, red is west, and black is the north. It is not indicative of tribe or people, but rather, we start in the east like how the sun rises and end up in the north where the sun goes down. Same as life; we start as infants and end up as ancients.”
“Did your father ever come back?”
“I eventually found out he had been killed.”
Ren flinched. “I’m sorry about your father.”
“Circle of life,” Cree replied quietly.
“But is it?”
“Sometimes the circle is unfair. Eventually, it also evens out. You should give yours some time to do that for you, and while you wait, work.”
Renzo considered that. “I will.”
“And if you’re going to sit here day in and day out, the least you could do is ask that sweet girl in the kitchen to sit with you. She’s worried, New York. Although why, I don’t know. So, you’re wallowing. You always did that.”
Yep.
There he was.
“Fuck you, Cree.”
“No, thank you. I’m quite good.”
“You can leave.”
Cree shook his head. “My time is not up—we have at least two hours.”
“For what?”
“This. Me being here. We’ll do it often—what we do will change depending on how much you annoy me and what you’re capable of. Also,” Cree added quickly when Renzo opened his mouth to refuse, “it wasn’t a request. Back to your cord and stick.”
Perfect.
Just wonderful.
Joe | Liliana
Her First Sight
“Wait, we’re going to watch a movie before dinner, but nobody thought to get snacks?” Cella asked, side-eyeing Liliana with a glower that could rival the devil’s.
“I can’t think of everything!”
Cella nodded. “Mmhmm, sure.”
“To be fair,” Catherine said, leaning over the counter to grab the piece of apple their mutual friend was slicing, “It was technically my responsibility to get snacks. I was otherwise distracted.”