Reclaim My Heart

chapter FIVE

Wikweko’s Artists’ Alley consisted of a winding, brick walkway that ran a full block between Main Street and Water Street. Signs clearly marked the Alley at both ends, Lucas told Zach and Tyne, for the growing tourist trade. The three of them entered town on Main Street and swung around the block to park in the lot located on Water Street, so they were able to view the quaint lane of galleries from one end then the other.

Zach sucked in his breath as he opened the car door. “Yowch,” he grumbled, gently shaking his right hand.

“Those blisters will callous over in no time,” Lucas assured him.

Tyne shut her door and lifted her face to the bright summer sunshine. For three afternoons she’d been left to her own devices while Zach and Lucas had disappeared with a packed lunch, a jug of water, and the bow. Tyne wasn’t sure where they’d gone each day, but they returned home in time to eat the dinner she prepared. They must have done a lot of hiking because Zach seemed too tired to talk much in the evenings. Which meant he was also too tired to argue with or snap at her.

She couldn’t remember the last time she’d sat outside and read a book. Already, the sun had tinged her skin golden and she felt well rested.

Several times since arriving in Wikweko, Tyne had overheard Zach ask Lucas when they could visit Jasper. Each time, Lucas had either put him off or diverted Zach’s attention to another topic. This morning, both Lucas and Zach had complained of sore fingertips so they’d decided to take a break from archery practice. Again, Zach had posed meeting his great uncle, and this time he refused to be sidetracked from the issue.

“The last time I was here—” Tyne looked around at the shops “—there was no such thing as Artists’ Alley. Or a tourist trade. Water Street hadn’t even been paved.”

Surprise momentarily slackened the tension on Zach’s face. “You were here before? In Wikweko?” he asked her. Tyne only had time to nod before her son turned to Lucas. “I assumed you met my mom in the city.”

“No,” Lucas answered easily. “We met here. Or rather in Oak Mills. A town a few miles down the road. That’s where your mom was born. Where we both attended high school. But we spent a lot of time here in Wikweko.”

Avoiding his mother altogether, Zach stuffed his hands into the pockets of his baggie jeans and hunched his shoulders as he quickened his step to forge ahead of them.

Lucas sidled up beside her. “A lot’s changed around here in sixteen years, don’t you think? Wikweko High School was built about five years ago. We have our own post office now. We have a weekly newspaper. And a Starbucks, if you can believe it.”

She sensed his edginess, heard the tension in his voice. He hadn’t even noticed Zach’s surly withdrawal.

“Why don’t you want to see Jasper, Lucas?”

He stopped short. “What are you talking about?”

She paused, lifting her hand to shield her eyes from the sunlight. “Zach has asked every day to meet your uncle and you put him off every time. The only reason we’re here is because neither of you can pull the string on that bow because of blisters. My guess is that you’ve been avoiding Jasper.”

“That’s ridiculous.” Lucas’s clipped gait forced Tyne to walk fast to keep up. “I don’t have any blisters. And I’m not avoiding anyone.”

He called out to Zach. “You’ve passed the gallery. Uncle Jasper’s place is here.” Lon ucas rushed forward to open the door for them.

The stylish sign hanging above the door didn’t display a name; it only portrayed a fierce-looking hawk that had been crafted from some silver-toned metal. The detail work of the animal was exquisite. A bell attached to the door tinkled when they entered, and inside, the shop was cool and still.

“Wow.” Zach breathed out the word rather than spoke it. “Look at that.” He moved to the large eagle, its wings spread wide, perched on a glass shelf in a well-lit corner. A predatory fierceness had been meticulously etched into every aspect of the bird from its glaring eyes down to its salient talons. The sculpture’s surface had been polished to a high sheen that accented the wood’s grain.

The air suddenly filled with a haunting flute melody accompanied by a single drum piped into the room over the sound system.

“I’ll be right there,” a masculine voice called from a back room.

In his mid-sixties, Jasper Silver Hawk had classic Native American features; high cheekbones, deep set eyes the color of glossy onyx, a ruddy complexion riddled with crevices etched by a lifetime spent in the sun and wind. A regal face you might see stamped onto an ancient coin.

“Lucas,” the man exclaimed. “I heard you were back in town.”

“Uncle Jasper,” Lucas greeted.

The men shook hands, and although their words were warm, their brief embrace looked awkward to Tyne as they clapped each other on the back.

“I’m sure you remember Tyne,” Lucas said to his uncle.

Jasper’s gaze fell on her, genuine affection pervading his quick smile. “Of course. How could I forget? Tyne, you’ve become a beautiful woman.”

“And you haven’t changed a bit,” she told him, stepping into his open arms.

He hugged her tightly and murmured, “The years refuse to pass without leaving their mark.” He didn’t let her go immediately, and Tyne rested her cheek on his shoulder.

Whether it was the truth in his profound remark, the tenderness in his greeting, or the moving memories of a more innocent time, Tyne couldn’t say, but unexpected tears stung her eyes.

“It’s good to see you, Jasper.” She swiped at the moisture clinging to her lashes with her fingertips when they parted. “I wasn’t sure you’d even speak to me. The way I left all those years ago. You know,” she murmured, “without saying goodbye.”

Voicing her doubts wasn’t something she was in a habit of doing. Experience had taught her that revealing her fears only left her vulnerable, but Jasper’s warmth had melted those remarks right out of her.

Her face flushed and she forged ahead. “Jasper, I, um, I’d like you to meet my son.”

Zach had been standing off to the side, waiting to be introduced, but now he moved forward. Tyne put a hand on her son’s shoulder. Having been unaware of the teen’s presence, Jasper’s expression widened with joy.

“Your son, Tyne? How wonderful.” He reached out his hand and Zach clasped it with his own.

“This is Zachary,” Tyne said. “Zach, this is Jasper Silver Hawk. Uncle Jasper.”

“I’ve been, like, wanting to meet you, like, forever.” Zach continued to shake the older man’s hand heartily. “Well, ever since I found out about you, anyways.”

Only a teen could make seventy two hours sound like a lifetime.

“Silver Hawk. I get it now,” Zach told Jasper, nodding. “The sign outside above the door.”

Tyne looked at Lucas, silently urging him to say something.

“He’s a fine looking young man, Tyne,” Jasper said. “Tall and strong.”

Lucas edged up beside Zach and clamped his hand on his son’s shouldtrun’s ser. “He looks like his old man, don’t you think?”

Jasper went still, and then he beamed. He hugged Zach to him and clapped Lucas on the back. He looked from Zach to Lucas to Tyne and finally pronounced, “This is good.”

Everyone was smiling and jovial, enjoying the moment, until it turned fuzzy and warm and uncomfortable. Tyne and Lucas caught one another’s eye, and their smiles slipped. In unison, they inched backward, stepping out of the cozy family circle.

“Did you carve the eagle?” Zach asked Jasper, seemingly oblivious to his parents’ uneasiness.

“I did.”

“It’s, like, amazing.”

Tyne followed her son and Jasper to the window to admire the sculpture and stood long enough to learn that the carving was made from the trunk of a black walnut tree that had been felled by a lightning strike, that a chisel and mallet had been the tools of choice and that it had taken months for the figure to take form. Lucas kept himself separate, studying the paintings displayed on the far wall of the shop.

The bold colors used in the landscapes were at the same time jarring and intriguing, teasing the observer into a closer look. And Tyne fell victim.

One painting in particular, with its orange sunset and sienna trees, drew her. “It’s beautiful,” she murmured to Lucas. “They’re all beautiful. Really unique, you know?” She didn’t expect an answer. “I remember when we were teens that Jasper painted, but I never realized he had such talent.”

“Neither did I,” Lucas said quietly.

“Guess we didn’t pay enough attention.”

He lifted one shoulder. “Guess not.”

They stood for several long moments looking at each other, and then they focused their attention on the art. Every time she even considered talking to him she hit this solid stone wall. She didn’t know if she’d built it or if he had. Oh, hell. She ought to be mature enough to admit the truth.

For the past sixteen years she’d done all she could to foster her independence. Knowing that she’d pretty much made her own way over the years and had raised Zach by herself offered her a deep sense of satisfaction. She’d thought she’d risen above the past. Thought it could no longer affect her. But every time she looked at Lucas, every time she tried to communicate with him, she was reminded of the stark truth.

The unhappy adolescent she had once been continued to haunt her. The passionate teenager who had surrendered herself—mind and body, heart and soul—to Lucas still lived deep inside. The young woman who had been forced to leave town in disgrace was coming out of hiding. She thought she’d dealt with all the hurts, bandaged all the wounds that had been inflicted on her so many years ago. But merely being in Lucas’s presence forced her to see that, beneath the makeshift dressings, she was still raw and aching. Bitter. And furious.

“Zach and I will be right back.”

Tyne and Lucas turned at the sound of Jasper’s voice.

Jasper stood with Zach at the threshold of the hallway that led to the back of the shop.

“We’re going upstairs for some goldenseal salve,” Jasper said. “For Zach’s blisters.”

Lucas straightened. “I found the bow you made for me at the house.”

Jasper nodded.

“I heard that you used to win the archery competition at every pow-wow,” Zach said to Jasper. “Will you shoot with us one day while we’re here?”

“I am out of practice.” The elderly man directed his keen black gaze at Lucas. “There haven’t been archery competitions for years.”

“What?” Lucas’s head tilted the tiniest bit. “But why?”

Jasper lifted one hand, palm out, fingers splayene ngers sd. “Lack of interest.” He glanced at Zach. “Come with me. I want to put some salve on those fingers so they don’t get infected.”

The two of them disappeared down the hall.

“Hold on just one darn second here,” Tyne said. “Just a few minutes ago you were bragging to me about how Wikweko has grown. ‘We have our own post office,’ you said. ‘We have a newspaper.’ We.” She emphasized the pronoun with a small, derisive wobble of her head. “You talked like you share some kind of kindred spirit with these people, this community. But it sounds like you haven’t been back, Lucas. How long has it been? You haven’t even come home for pow-wows? That’s a big deal to the people here. I know it is.”

She waited for him to answer, and when he didn’t, she let loose a sharp sigh. “Admit it. You share about as much spirit with Wikweko as I do.”

“I care enough to subscribe to the paper.” He leaned his hip against a display case. “So I can read up on what’s happening. I don’t think you have any right to give me grief. Your son didn’t even know you were born and raised here.”

She chose to ignore that comment completely. “Why haven’t you been back, Lucas? You and Jasper were as close as father and son. What happened?”

He studied her face for a moment. Finally, he said. “Nothing happened, Tyne.”

Sunlight drilled through the window behind her, heating the spot directly between her shoulder blades. “I don’t believe that. I saw the two of you together. Awkward doesn’t begin to describe what I saw when the two of you greeted each other.”

He shook his head. “Look, it’s nothing, okay? My job comes with a great deal of responsibility. It’s hard for me to leave Philadelphia. As soon as Uncle Jasper and I spend a little time together our relationship will smooth out.”

Tyne stood there frowning at him. He’d missed holidays with his uncle. Lots of them. Years’ worth of them from the sound of it. He hadn’t been to pow-wow. Those gatherings were sacred to the Lenape of Wikweko.

As a teen, she’d been fascinated by the rituals, the legends passed on to the younger generations, the large, smoky bonfire, the delicious food, the games of skill, the camaraderie. Lucas had taken her to several of the celebrations while they were dating, and people had come from all over the country, some of them traveling thousands of miles, to attend. Tyne couldn’t fathom Lucas missing even one of these very special events. Especially when he lived less than two hours away.

“Lucas—”

“Give it a rest, Tyne. Everything will be fine between me and my uncle. You’ll see.” He stalked away from her, crossed the small gallery, and with his back to her, stood gazing at the magnificent eagle.

• • •



“Does Uncle Jasper know why we’re here?” Zach looked over at Lucas from the front passenger seat of the car, then he darted a quick glance at Tyne in the back seat.

“I haven’t said anything to anyone,” Lucas said. “So I don’t know how he could. Why do you ask?”

Zach shrugged. “I dunno. He made me feel a little—” again he shrugged “—self-conscious, I guess. When he was showing me his studio, which is pretty amazing, by the way, he said he spends the whole winter carving and then spends the summer selling his stuff.” Zach shoved his hair back off his forehead. “Anyway, he told me that my grandfather would have been proud of me. He mentioned that my grandfather was an honorable man. He used that word twice. Honorable.” He glanced out the window and his voice went soft as he added, “Made me feel…‌I don’t know, kinda weird. Like maybe heingike may was pointing out that he thinks that I’m not…‌or something.” He looked over at Lucas. “Without actually sayin’ it, I mean.”

Tyne curled her fingers around the strap of the seatbelt to keep from reaching out to her son.

“If there’s one thing about my uncle I do know,” Lucas told him, “it’s that he says what he means and means what he says.”

They had spent another forty minutes at the shop before customers came in and began wanting Jasper’s attention so they felt they should leave.

“I don’t believe Jasper knows anything about the trouble you’re in.” Tyne leaned forward. “How could he? We’re the only ones here who know about it and we haven’t said a word to anyone.” When Zach didn’t pay her any heed she reclined against the seat again to watch the passing scenery.

“Honorable is a word Uncle Jasper always uses whenever he talks about my father.” Lucas shifted his hands on the steering wheel. “I think he wants my dad to be remembered with respect and admiration.” He glanced over at Zach and then back at the road. “I can remember many, many—” he repeated the word with a chuckle “—times when my uncle explained the importance of honor to me. He felt that a man could have many things—wealth, prominence in the community, intelligence, what have you—but if he had no integrity, he had nothing worth having.”

“Is that a Lenape thing? A culture thing?” Zach asked. “To lecture on honor?”

“Well, I guess you could say that, but…” Lucas shook his head. “There’s not a single race of people I know of that would want their sons and daughters to grow up to become liars and thieves.”

The comment made Tyne smile. “That’s true enough.”

“Speaking of culture,” Zach said to Lucas, “Uncle Jasper invited me to the Community Center tomorrow night. He said the kids go to meetings every week and learn about the past. Uncle Jasper goes. And other members of the Council of Elders. He said they tell stories, true stories from history, and some folklore too. They teach the kids about the old ways, he said. How to make a rabbit trap, or how to churn butter, or grind corn, that kind of thing. He said this week they’ll have a bonfire. That they’ll teach the kids a special tribal dance.” He reached up and scratched the back of his neck. “I told him I don’t have the moves and ended up having to explain what that meant. That I dance like I have two huge left feet. He said I could learn to drum some of the rhythms. You think I could go?”

Lucas looked at Tyne in the rearview mirror. She nodded.

“Of course,” Lucas said. “I think that’s a good idea. You’ll have fun and meet some other kids from the community.” He grinned. “And you might learn something too.”

Zach dipped his chin and shook his head. “I’m not dancing, that’s for sure.”

When he looked at Lucas again, his expression was serious. “Could we not tell him?” he asked. “You know, about why we’re here?”

Tyne didn’t wait for Lucas to answer. “It wouldn’t be right to tell any blatant lies, son.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Zach’s tone sounded defeated. Then he swallowed and squared his shoulders. “But if nobody asks, we don’t have to offer, right?”

For the beat of several seconds all that could be heard was the whirr of the air conditioner.





Softly, Lucas said, “We don’t have to offer. But unfortunately they aren’t called skeletons in a closet for nothing. Secrets have a way of showing their bones.”