Another century without status as a First Nations people had nearly devastated and destroyed the Eastern Pequot. His people had begun to scatter to the winds once more, or tried to marry into the other tribe. But tension had always been high there. Easterners had been looked down upon by the Westerners. They saw their leaving as disloyalty instead of survival and were reluctant to let them back in.
Back in his mother’s day, when she was younger, there had even been rival gangs and fights between the two tribes. His people had experienced more intermarriage with the local whites. Thus, their lighter skin tone. Racism existed even amongst his own people. And it had been prevalent then. The Western Pequot attitude of superiority came from their darker tones, their racial purity in their own minds. There was a lot of bad blood between them. He hoped to rectify some of that when he eventually made his way into Congress. It was already getting better, but he wanted to do more. The casino they now owned in their own right had alleviated a lot of that stress. The worry that the Easterners wanted in on their casinos was no longer a fear. Soon, his tribe would be economically sufficient on their own.
The issue of being mixed was still a concern to some, and he felt that too. It was one of the things he’d had to overcome in his own personal life. He was a half breed, more so if lineage was taken into account. He knew he was white, or half white. But he’d never known his father. His mother and grandparents, his tribe had raised him, even though he did not look much like a traditional native. But he embraced his native culture. His heart was with his people and all they had suffered. Because of being of mixed blood, the Eastern Pequot didn’t put as much stock in one’s appearance as some other tribes. They, after all, had commingled with the whites for centuries. It had been a matter of survival. Living amongst them, with the help and aid of the white communities around them, had not only been necessary to their very survival, but had enriched them too. They’d been able to learn and adapt to the new world around them because of their help and guidance even if it hadn’t always been easy.
You had to do what you needed to in order to survive.
Waiting in his car, he saw the first of the busses arrive to pick up the children. He usually waited until they all departed to make sure all was well and no one missed the bus. Plus, he’d be stuck behind a line of the big yellow busses anyway.
As the last bus pulled out, something caught his eye that delayed his departure. It was the twins. Jewel’s brothers. He saw Lesley and Wesley’s truck pull up at the center. He thought they had been away overnight. So he was surprised to see them here, now, back so early. Lesley was hanging out the window, and when an older boy came over, Lesley gestured for him to come closer. He watched curiously as Lesley handed the kid an envelope. The kid peered inside the envelope, and then smiled up at him, nodding his head. Lesley waved and the two brothers drove off. As they passed by him, he could see them both conversing animatedly. They didn’t see him sitting there. Then, the other boy, the one they had been talking to ran to another waiting car driven by what appeared to be another teenager and then they drove past him too. The scene he witnessed baffled him. What were they doing back in Lantern Hill? And what had just changed hands? It could be anything. School work, money? He didn’t know.
But it was strange nonetheless. He thought about mentioning it to Jewel. He started the ignition of his car. Maybe the overnight had gotten canceled, he thought. He didn’t want to get the boys in trouble. Perhaps she would mention it. He didn’t want to overreact. Maybe he’d keep this to himself for now. But he’d pay her a little visit today. She worked tonight, so he could easily slip down to the kitchen to see her. He wanted to talk to her about her disappearing act, and tease her about his morning problem which he had to take care of himself. He smiled. She’d blush for sure when he brought up his morning wood. And if he was lucky, that blush would spread right down to her breasts. Mmm, yes, that was a pleasurable thought indeed, he contemplated, as he got into traffic and started his journey to The Mystic.
Chapter 11
?
The moment he arrived in the office, he found both his mother and Jonathan waiting for him. Both didn’t look happy. “There was another robbery last night. At The Mohegan,” his mother informed him.
“They were nice enough to share the information after we informed them we were having a problem. Seems they are as well. They are sending copies of the tapes they have. Three figures, masked, in black.” His brother added quickly filling him in.
“So no other identifiers,” he asked, frustrated that this rash of robberies was more organized than he’d thought.
“No, but the tapes show there are at least three of them. Other than height, and build, we know very little else.”
His mom piped in. “The tapes should be here soon. When Tom gets them, he’ll call us. We wanted to see if you wanted to view them as well.” She looked at him with a wary expression. Something about that look made the hair rise on the back of his neck.