Chapter Three: The Second Meeting

A week after the first encounter with Kaya, Brown Hawk was once again in the dusty town. This time however, he was accompanied by the chief's second eldest son, Tall Pine. He didn't mind. He and Tall Pine were close; nearly as close as brothers. And with another horse and pair of hands, they could transport and trade twice as many supplies as he could alone.1

The two youths rode side by side towards the general store. Tall Pine was clearly the taller of the two, though he was much thinner as well. His buckskin leggings and moccasins were in better repair than Brown Hawk's, not that any of the whites would notice these differences. Those ignorant people would probably mistake them for brothers. 'Except maybe one,' Brown Hawk thought to himself with a smile. That girl, Kaya, from the store might be able to. After all, she was different from most pale faces.2

Quickly he pushed the thoughts from his mind. It was unlikely that they'd see each other again. After all she'd only been watching the store for her father. A few stolen glances of her in the store might be all that he'd be able to hope for. And there was also the issue of that irritable man, William. He'd acted so possessively of her that Brown Hawk was more than certain that she was his wife. Yes a few stolen glances would be what he'd have to settle on.3

Once they arrived at the store, the two boys unloaded their goods and entered the store. Glimpsing casually at the counter, Brown Hawk felt his heart skip. Kaya, not her father, was standing there in all her glory. He paused for a moment and stared amazed at her. His memories had not done any justice to her heavenly beauty.4

A small, sweet smile graced her lips when she looked back at him. He bowed his head, embarrassed to be caught staring. Shyly, he followed behind Tall Pine to the counter. Placing his goods on the counter alongside his friend's, he raised his eyes slightly to look at her. Quietly, he muttered a 'hello' to her.5

"Do you need more blankets?" she asked, taking a step in the direction of the blankets and quilts. There was confidence in her voice as she tried to trade with them, but there was also a nervous edge.6

Being the only one of the two that fluently understood English, Brown Hawk nodded. "Fishing poles and nets, too," he added.7

"Do you need lures and hooks for the fishing poles?" she inquired.8

Again Brown Hawk nodded again. Now avoiding her lovely eyes for fear of pain, rather than just embarrassment. It was hard to look at anything as beautiful as she was and know that he couldn't have her, or touch her even. It was almost painful, so he simply kept his eyes averted.9

Kaya stepped out from behind her post. "I'll help you get everything," she volunteered.10

She motioned for them to follow her through the store.11

Brown Hawk smiled to himself. William must not be there. If he had, he probably would have stopped her from helping them by then. But he was still concerned that he might find out someway. He didn't want her to get in trouble with her spouse.12

"Your husband?" he asked. "Will he mind you helping us?"13

Kaya laughed dryly. "He's not my husband," she said. In an undertone she added, "I wouldn't marry him even if he were the last man on Earth."14

A small weight lifted from his chest. Slowly his eyes rose to look at her. Now that he knew that she wasn't completely off limits to him, he felt more comfortable looking at her. He wanted to tell her that he was happy, but it seemed like the wrong thing to voice, so he remained silent.15

When he didn't speak, Kaya continued to lead them to the fishing supplies. "How many do you need?" she asked, hand poised next to the poles.16

Tall Pine looked at Brown Hawk, bewildered by her words.17

"Five poles and nine nets," Brown Hawk told her.18

Kaya blessed him with one of her radiant smiles again and pulled down the needed supplies. She handed him a tiny, wooden chest of lures and hooks along with the things he asked for.19

Tall Pine regarded the box, curiously. Leaning down, he told Brown Hawk in their native tongue that he was unsure if they had enough to trade for the extra item. 20

"I'm not sure we have enough for the lures," Brown Hawk told Kaya. "We can make and use our own..."21

"I can give them to you, as a gift," she offered, again portraying just how kind of a person that she was.22

But, Brown Hawk didn't want to accept it. There was a chance that she could be punished for giving something away. Especially something that was as nice as the box of lures seemed to be. He held them back out to her, shaking his head.  23

Kaya took them and replaced them on the pile in his arms. "They're a gift," she said again. 24

"Thank you," he said, holding it steady. 25

After they had gathered up the rest of the needed things, Kaya helped them to load everything up onto their horses. The sky was beginning to grow darker. Stars were strewn across the deep blue sky and lamps were being lit in front of other shops. 26

"Do you know where you're going to stay tonight?" she asked him as she tied a bundle down.27

Brown Hawk shrugged. They would probably end up sleeping outside. It was what they normally did on a trading trip. 28

"I can help you get a room at the saloon," she offered. 29

After a brief discussion with his friend, he told her that it would be good.30

She nodded and led them to the saloon. In another show of kindness, she helped them to get a room. Brown Hawk felt his admiration for her increase. Waving goodbye to her, he silently prayed to see her again someday.