Cedar Woman (185 page)

Lena
l
o
ok
e
d
u
p
a
n
d
i
n
to
B
o
y Lad
d
’s
e
y
es.
Her
ow
n
gl
o
w
i
ng
o
r
bs, n
o
w
o
p
e
n
ed
to
t
h
e
t
r
u
t
h,
saw B
o
y
L
a
d
d
’s
co
m
p
l
e
te
de
v
o
ti
o
n
an
d
l
o
ve
f
o
r N
i
ckie.
L
e
na
sign
e
d
i
n
wa
r
d
l
y
:
What
a
p
u
z
z
le.
W
h
at
c
o
nfusi
o
n
we
b
ri
n
g

i
n
to
o
u
r lives.

Le
n
a
lifted
N
i
c
k
ie’s
c
h
in
and
said,
“B
o
y La
d
d
is
h
e
re, N
i
c
k
ie.
We
m
u
st
see
what
he
wants.
He
wants
Nickie,
Lena’s
inner
voice
an
s
w
e
r
ed back.

Tu
r
n
i
n
g
t
o
Bo
y
Ladd,
L
e
na l
o
o
k
ed
h
e
r q
u
estion,
ey
e
b
ro
ws
r
aised,
h
er
h
ead
slig
h
t
ly ti
l
te
d
.

“
I finally got away,” Boy
L
add s
t
u
tt
ere
d
.
“S
o
nn
y
.
He
’
s at
m
y apart
m
ent.”

J
u
m
p
i
n
g
fr
o
m
h
er
c
h
air,
Le
n
a t
o
ok
Nic
k
ie by
t
h
e
h
a
n
d
.
Wal
k
i
n
g
to wh
e
re
Boy
L
add
stood,
confus
e
d
and
uncertain,
s
h
e
placed
Nickie’s

slend
e
r ha
n
d
i
n
to
his
larg
e
r
,
c
apable
o
n
e.

P
u
lli
n
g
u
p
in
fro
n
t
o
f
Boy
Lad
d
’s
apart
m
e
n
t,
Le
n
a sat
for
a
m
o
m
ent.
Gaz
i
ng
at
t
h
e
wi
nd
o
ws
o
f
t
h
e
f
r
o
n
t
r
oo
m
,
she
e
nvis
i
on
e
d
t
h
e layout
of
t
h
e
s
p
ace,
i
m
agining wh
e
re
Sonny
would
be when
she
wa
l
k
e
d t
h
r
o
ugh
t
h
e
f
r
o
n
t
d
o
o
r
.
Her
heart
clench
e
d
.
W
ha
t
if
I’m
too
l
a
te?
Wh
a
t if
he
h
a
s
dec
i
d
ed
t
h
at
he
do
es
n
’t
w
ant
m
e
?
S
t
epp
i
ng
o
u
t
o
f
t
h
e
car,
L
e
na
t
o
o
k
a
de
e
p
br
eath.
C
h
i
n
h
i
g
h
,
s
h
e
wa
l
k
e
d
up
t
h
e
pat
h
way
t
o
t
h
e
f
r
o
n
t
p
o
r
c
h
a
n
d
o
p
e
n
e
d
t
h
e
d
o
o
r
.

C
h
apter
T
w
enty S
e
ven

According to the
Native
P
e
ople, the Sa
c
r
e
d Space is the
s
p
ace
be
t
ween exhalation
a
n
d inhalation. To Walk in
Bala
n
ce is to
h
a
ve Hea
v
en and Earth
i
n
H
a
r
m
on
y
.

Cherokee
Prayer Blessing

Lena
stood
in
the
m
i
ddle
of the
first
floor
s
p
ace
of
the
19
^th
cen
t
u
ry
bu
il
d
i
n
g.
Her
h
eart was
l
i
gh
t and
filled
wi
t
h
t
h
e
pro
m
ise
h
er
future
h
eld. Slowly, she b
e
gan
to
turn,
ar
m
s
wid
e
,
as
i
f to
e
m
brace
the building
a
nd
m
ake
it her
ow
n.