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The following day, Shandra rode to the community center with Aunt Jo. While her aunt dealt with matters pertaining to her job as the coordinator of the center, Shandra printed out a certificate and put together the scholarship packet she would give to Nelly at one.
Shandra pulled the video of Aunt Jo and Uncle Martin’s wedding out of her purse and went in search of a television with a VHS player. Walking by the main entrance of the building, she glanced out the large windows to the parking lot.
A tall young man with a striking profile and long hair blowing in the wind was deep in discussion with a young woman who’s back was to the building. It was evident neither one was happy with the conversation. The woman’s arms were crossed, her body stiff. The man shoved his hair off his face, revealing a scowl and downturned mouth.
The two parted. The young man climbed into a jacked-up pickup and the young woman walked toward the road.
Shandra continued on her hunt for a VHS player, but her mind was on the couple. There had been something familiar about the young woman. Was it someone she’d met on the reservation before?
“What are you doing wandering around?” Aunt Jo asked.
“I was looking for a device to play this on.” She glanced over her shoulder at the entrance. “I witnessed an argument between a young man and woman.” She shook her head. “It was nothing. Where can I watch your wedding video?”
Aunt Jo smiled. “Right this way.”
They entered a small room with a television unit that had a VHS player in its base.
Jo sat down beside her, and they watched the video together with Shandra asking questions about each action and spoken word.
“That was lovely!” she exclaimed, staring at her aunt. “You were beautiful then and still are.”
“Thank you for the kind words, but I was a bride. All brides are beautiful because they are joining with their soul mate on their wedding day.” She sighed. “To be that sure of anything else in my life would be wonderful.”
“What is bothering you?” Shandra retrieved the tape and sat back down beside her aunt.
“Nothing to concern you.”
“If it concerns you, it concerns me.” Shandra peered into her aunt’s dark brown eyes.
“I’m worried my boys will never find what their father and I have.”
“They’re young yet. Look at me. I’m closer to forty than twenty which is closer to your sons’ ages. They have time.”
“Martin and I married when I was nineteen and he was twenty-two. We’d dated off and on in high school and out. I knew on the first date I was going to marry him. It took a little longer to convince him.” Jo smiled and her eyes glistened.
“You and Ryan have that in common. He’s believed we would marry from practically the first time we met. I’m the one who took the convincing.” Shandra smiled. And now they were getting married, and she couldn’t think of any other person she’d want to grow old with.
Jo put an arm around her waist. “And I’m glad he did. You two are wonderful together.”
Jo’s cell phone jingled. She glanced at it. “It’s Velma.” She slid a finger across the front. “Hello?” She listened. “What a thoughtful idea. We’ll be right there.”
Her aunt shoved the phone back in a pocket. “Velma brought us lunch. She wanted to be here when you told Nelly. Wendy came with her to take your measurements.” Jo stood and led the way back to her office.
Velma stood at the door, waiting impatiently for them. “Where were you? Wendy spent ten minutes looking for you before I called.” She held up a brown bag and backed up revealing Wendy. “The chicken strips are going to be cold. I hate cold chicken strips. When the heat goes so does the flavor.”
Shandra glanced at Jo. Her aunt was having as much trouble keeping a straight face as she was.
“We were watching Jo and Martin’s wedding video to give me an idea of what to expect.” Shandra followed her two aunts into the office.
Jo continued to cross the small room to a door on the other side. She returned with two bottles of water and two sodas. She handed the sodas to Velma and Wendy and a water to Shandra.
Velma shoved everything to the side of the desk and pulled out red and white checkered paper boats heaped with chicken strips. “I sprung for a boat of jojos, too.” She placed that on the desk closest to her. Then she set out little plastic containers of white and pink sauce.
The smell of the greasy strips of chicken and spicy jojos made Shandra’s stomach growl. “I didn’t think I was hungry until I smelled this.”
“Leave it to Velma to know when to bring food,” Jo said, taking one of the boats.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Velma asked, narrowing her eyes.
“That you always know when a person needs food,” Jo said, before taking a bite.
“What is that blanket you have next to you?” Shandra asked Wendy.
“The doeskin is wrapped in it. I thought you might like to see what I’ll make your dress out of.” Wendy folded back a corner of the blanket and revealed the whitest doeskin Shandra had ever seen.
“It’s beautiful.” She wanted to run her hand over it to see if the material felt as soft as it looked but didn’t dare get a speck of grease on the hide. “I can’t wait to see what you do with this.”
“As soon as you finish eating, I’ll measure you. I need to get started right away to have this ready by the wedding.” Wendy shoved her remaining food toward her mother. “You can have the rest. I’ve had enough.” She stood. “I’m going to wash my hands.” Her cousin left the room.
Shandra and her aunts talked about the upcoming events at the community center. When she couldn’t take another bite, Shandra shoved her nearly empty boat to the middle of the desk. “I’m going to wash my hands.”
Out in the hall, she didn’t see her cousin. Wendy wasn’t in the small restroom either. Wondering where she could have gone, Shandra took a detour by the large plate glass windows at the front of the building and glanced into the parking lot. The jacked-up pickup she’d seen earlier was there and it looked like two people were entwined in one another’s arms inside the vehicle. Maybe the young man and woman who had been arguing before came to their senses.
She walked back into the office.
Wendy hadn’t returned.
A glance at the clock on the wall said it was one o’clock. “Nelly should be showing up any minute.” Shandra walked over to where she’d left the certificate and the packet.
A young woman walked through the door.
“Pim, what are you doing here?” Aunt Jo asked.
Shandra had to believe it was the young woman her aunt had wanted to receive the scholarship. Pim was an unusual name.
“I wanted to find out where this Friday’s SYEP workshop is being held,” the young woman said.
“Down in the gym,” Aunt Jo said, her brow furrowed.
“Thanks.” Pim faced Shandra. “You must be Shandra Higheagle. Thank you so much for sponsoring a scholarship for young women of this reservation.”
“You’re welcome. What is a SYEP workshop?” Shandra asked, wondering if it really was a coincidence the young woman showed up now as they waited for Nelly to arrive.
“It’s the Summer Youth Employment Program. We work for minimum wage four days a week and on Fridays we have workshops on different jobs. If I don’t get help to go to college, at least I’ll have some knowledge to hopefully get a better than minimum wage job.” Pim waved to Jo. “Thanks!”
When the young woman was out of the office and earshot, Shandra glanced at her aunts. “Where is the workshop usually held?”
“Here,” Jo said.
Shandra and Jo turned to Velma as Wendy walked into the room. “Did you tell her what was happening at one today?” they said in unison.
“I only called Nelly and told her to come here at one.” Velma snorted and pointed to the clock. “She’s late. You should have just handed that stuff over to Pim.”
“There could be a good reason she isn’t here yet,” Shandra said.
“Like she’s out stealing someone’s boyfriend,” Wendy said under her breath.
Shandra turned to her cousin. “What are you talking about?”
“Nelly tried to steal Tripp away from me. Just because she puts out, she thinks every male will fall for her.” Wendy pulled out a tape measure. “I might as well get your measurements while you wait.”
Shandra didn’t like the fact Nelly was late and that Wendy believed it was because the other woman was sleeping with someone. Seeing Nelly’s application for the scholarship, Shandra had hoped the young woman had changed her ways.
She stood with her arms out as Wendy measured and wrote down the measurements. “Would you like to feel your dress?” Wendy asked.
Shandra ran her hand over the supple doeskin. “I can’t believe how soft this is. Wendy you did a wonderful job tanning the hide.”
“With the leftover pieces, Aunt Jo is going to make you a pair of moccasins.” Wendy covered up the leather.
A man with long braids, sweating brow, and worry etched on his face, stepped into the office. “Jo, call the police. Nelly Bingham’s been stabbed.”