looked up.
“Who is that?” Josie gasped.
“Stay here,” he said and then walked out, closing the door.
Josie moved the tray and eased out of bed. Opening the door she peeked into the living room. A tall white man with a Stetson that shadowed his face stood beyond the opaque porch door.
“Get off my land Rex.” Elu said in a low voice, approaching the door with clenched fists. Po growled at the stranger. It was the first time she heard the sweet animal utter a threatening noise.
“I sent a land surveyor here, and you sent him away. Now Elu, the courts have been clear. Enough of this bullshit, Indian.” The stranger said.
Po bared his teeth snapping his jaws at the man. The entire scene was strange. Elu patted the dog’s head to either encourage or comfort him. “I’m not selling my land. I don’t care what you or those courts say. This is my land. The next time you come I will consider it trespassing.” Po took a threatening step forward. Josie couldn’t see the stranger’s face. She parted the door just a little wider and tried.
“We aren’t done, Indian!” Rex spat, and was gone.
Elu turned and saw her. He flashed angry eyes at her and glared for a long pause. Then he walked away. Of course she came out the room. In nothing but her nightdress she hurried into the living room over the cool hardwood floors. Elu sat in the large chair that faced the fireplace, staring inside.
“They want to take this place from you?”
“They can try.”
“Have you gotten a lawyer, someone to help?”
“It’s not your problem.”
“Elu, talk to me.”
He closed his eyes. She went to him. Her hand went down his mane as she rubbed his head. “I know how much you love this place. You’ve shown me. How can these people do this?”
“Eminent Domain,” he said sadly.
“Did you go through condemnation proceedings?”
The question shocked her. Elu looked up. Josie saw the puzzlement in his eyes when she walked around his chair and sat before him on the coffee table.
“How did you know?”
“I – I don’t know.” She gave a small shrug to her shoulders. “But I do.” She thought of those research papers and the people along Sea Island who were forced from their homes. Maybe that’s how she knew?
“I’ve had due process, they made an offer. I’ve refused it.”
“You need an attorney. These courts can just come in and take—.”
“That’s stealing! How can this government call itself just when time and time again it uses men like Rex Teagle to rob from men like me? My people left here on a government promise. They were herded into camps they call reservations , their history erased. This land is more than grass and trees. It’s me. It’s Blackfoot. It’s everything promised to my people before your government decided differently.”
“Elu, you have to be realistic.”
“Realism? You speak of it but you don’t even know your own name, and you hide from the truth of who you are. If I have to be realistic so should you!”
Josie tensed at the bitterness in his voice, but she knew he was in pain. Deep long pain that lived with him in his loneliness on this land. She touched his knee, wanting to fold him up in her arms. Wanting to show him she cared.
“This place is the root of my history, my wife’s history, it is as much a part of me as the blood in my veins. I will not leave it. I will not!”
Josie felt as if she could help him. But how was beyond her understanding. He was so hurt. She was so lost.
“If you get an attorney you can start an inverse condemnation . It will give you the opportunity to be heard before the state justices. You can fight this, but you have to try to do it through the law.”
“How do you know these things, Leoti? Are you an attorney?”
“Yes,” she said and it sounded right. Saying she was a professor didn’t feel right. An attorney fit in ways that were just organic. Deep inside she felt it. She was an attorney. Some kind of an attorney.
“Who is that?” Josie gasped.
“Stay here,” he said and then walked out, closing the door.
Josie moved the tray and eased out of bed. Opening the door she peeked into the living room. A tall white man with a Stetson that shadowed his face stood beyond the opaque porch door.
“Get off my land Rex.” Elu said in a low voice, approaching the door with clenched fists. Po growled at the stranger. It was the first time she heard the sweet animal utter a threatening noise.
“I sent a land surveyor here, and you sent him away. Now Elu, the courts have been clear. Enough of this bullshit, Indian.” The stranger said.
Po bared his teeth snapping his jaws at the man. The entire scene was strange. Elu patted the dog’s head to either encourage or comfort him. “I’m not selling my land. I don’t care what you or those courts say. This is my land. The next time you come I will consider it trespassing.” Po took a threatening step forward. Josie couldn’t see the stranger’s face. She parted the door just a little wider and tried.
“We aren’t done, Indian!” Rex spat, and was gone.
Elu turned and saw her. He flashed angry eyes at her and glared for a long pause. Then he walked away. Of course she came out the room. In nothing but her nightdress she hurried into the living room over the cool hardwood floors. Elu sat in the large chair that faced the fireplace, staring inside.
“They want to take this place from you?”
“They can try.”
“Have you gotten a lawyer, someone to help?”
“It’s not your problem.”
“Elu, talk to me.”
He closed his eyes. She went to him. Her hand went down his mane as she rubbed his head. “I know how much you love this place. You’ve shown me. How can these people do this?”
“Eminent Domain,” he said sadly.
“Did you go through condemnation proceedings?”
The question shocked her. Elu looked up. Josie saw the puzzlement in his eyes when she walked around his chair and sat before him on the coffee table.
“How did you know?”
“I – I don’t know.” She gave a small shrug to her shoulders. “But I do.” She thought of those research papers and the people along Sea Island who were forced from their homes. Maybe that’s how she knew?
“I’ve had due process, they made an offer. I’ve refused it.”
“You need an attorney. These courts can just come in and take—.”
“That’s stealing! How can this government call itself just when time and time again it uses men like Rex Teagle to rob from men like me? My people left here on a government promise. They were herded into camps they call reservations , their history erased. This land is more than grass and trees. It’s me. It’s Blackfoot. It’s everything promised to my people before your government decided differently.”
“Elu, you have to be realistic.”
“Realism? You speak of it but you don’t even know your own name, and you hide from the truth of who you are. If I have to be realistic so should you!”
Josie tensed at the bitterness in his voice, but she knew he was in pain. Deep long pain that lived with him in his loneliness on this land. She touched his knee, wanting to fold him up in her arms. Wanting to show him she cared.
“This place is the root of my history, my wife’s history, it is as much a part of me as the blood in my veins. I will not leave it. I will not!”
Josie felt as if she could help him. But how was beyond her understanding. He was so hurt. She was so lost.
“If you get an attorney you can start an inverse condemnation . It will give you the opportunity to be heard before the state justices. You can fight this, but you have to try to do it through the law.”
“How do you know these things, Leoti? Are you an attorney?”
“Yes,” she said and it sounded right. Saying she was a professor didn’t feel right. An attorney fit in ways that were just organic. Deep inside she felt it. She was an attorney. Some kind of an attorney.
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