The River Remembers You

Now available as both eBook and Paperback on Amazon.

First volume in a dualogy.

What happens when Hidatsa Magic meets Polish Magic?

A story about two people in a maelstrom of change. Gene, a Hidatsa man who was unaware that he is Hidatsa. Jania, a Polish woman emigre seeking her own place in the world. The shy and introverted man and the ambitious and wealthy woman meet and fall in love but find that magic has made their relationship untenable. Gene goes home to the Rez for the first time and learns who he really is. Jania learns to accept who she is. Magic brings love and someone who ‘speaks to the world’. 

Gene said, “I was wondering why you dress differently than the others in your office? It seems to me that most of your people appear to spend a lot of money on their clothes. In contrast, you wear almost a uniform looking setup. Well, except for the shoes.”

Pretty said, “I told you that my mom is well known in NY fashion. She has always been dressed in the latest and best. My earliest memories are of her and me in some designer’s label. We were in the magazines, Mother and Daughter, wearing whoever. As I grew up, I wore more fashion. Preteen and even more in my teen years. Mom almost wanted me to be a model. I saw those kids, those girls. I knew I did not want any part of that modeling business. Eventually, mom agreed that modeling was not for me. When I was a sophomore in high school, I went full teenage rebellion. Full on grunge. Cut my own hair. That lasted almost a year. When mom finally calmed down, I let the grunge go and just wore jeans and sweats a lot. I felt free of the money and other costs of wearing those clothes. When I went to college, I adopted a sort of uniform. What I liked about it then and now is that I don’t spend much money or time on clothes.” 

“It can cause confusion. If a client comes to our office unannounced, I can sometimes be mistaken for a clerk or secretary. I keep some ensembles in my office for… just in case. When we go on business calls, I always wear something related to the client we are calling on. To be honest though, my clothes, my uniform as you call it were actually designed and made especially for me. Do you like my uniform?” 

Gene said, “I like you, what you wear is less important. Although, I guess I would like to see you ‘wearing a label or fashion’ or whatever you call it.”

Pretty said, “You like me?”

Gene nodded. 

She continued, “You nerdy guys, the NerdStars, seem to have uniforms. Mostly cargo pants or cargo shorts, pullover shirts long or short sleeve with pockets. You seem to need a lot of pockets. Oh, and the flannel shirts, except for the guy who wears the Hawaiian shirts.”

Gene said, “Yes, that is the office manager. He is only a semi nerd.”

Pretty said, “_Gówno_, that is my phone. That is what we get for sneaking out, we should have told them where we were going.”

Gene said, “If we did that, people would know that you are with me.”

Pretty said, “_Cholernie_, we better go.”

Her phone kept ringing and because she felt it would be better not to answer, they left their coffee and had to walk quickly.

As they marched back, she asked, “I see your Match profile is still active. Are you dating or doing meetups with anyone now?”

Gene dodged some traffic and caught up to her and said, “Only a pretty Polish woman.”

She laughed.

When he got off the elevator, she whispered, “Next time, maybe we will get to finish our coffee.”

Gene looked at her and whispered, “Promise?”

She laughed as the door closed. Gene wondered if her profile was still active but decided he wouldn’t look. 

The next day, they accidentally met in the lobby after work. As they walked to the parking lot, Gene said, “You seem to ask for promises a lot. What is up with that?”

Pretty said, “My mom was a single parent working full time with a lot of extra hours. Especially when I was little. I’m sure you know how that goes. So I had Polish babysitters, house sitters, nannies, and tutors. She did try her best to mom me, but her main focus was work. I learned that if I could make her promise, then she would do her best to be there for me. You know, birthdays and that sort of thing. Promises are a left over from my childhood. Do you mind?”

Gene said, “I promise you, I don’t mind at all.”

Pretty said, “You do keep your promises!”

Gene asked, “So all those Polish people in your life… they helped you stay in touch with your heritage?”

Pretty said, “Oh my god yes! Most of them were new immigrants and barely spoke English, so everything was in Polish. They told me Polish fairytales, my favorite was _Żabia Księżniczka_ or The Frog Princess. They fed me only Polish food, Pierogi, Placki Ziemniaczane, Gołąbki, Paszteciki, Klopsiki, and Kiełbasa. Even you must have heard of Kiełbasa. And O Boże the Pączki. I am hungry just remembering. We always had the best smelling apartments in New York. When I started school, I finally understood that there were people who didn’t speak Polish. There were… some days that I didn’t miss my mother very much… The Nannies and all – they tried so very hard to make a home for me. My earliest memories are a mix of Polish folk songs and rock from the Seventies. Like me and my mom, everyone had escaped from communist Poland, and they wanted some ‘America’… They wanted… happy, money, but most of all they wanted love. They played love songs endlessly. And of course, they all got hooked on rock and roll. I listened to 70s rock a lot. One of my tutors was a big fan of Fleetwood Mac, she wanted to be a singer and her goal was to sing ’Songbird’. Do you know that song?”

Gene answered, “I’ve not listened to a lot of music. I don’t recognize that song.”

Jeanne said, “It is a beautiful song. It requires a significant range and breath control to master. I cannot count how many times I listened to that song by Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mac and later by Eva Cassidy. I still love it though.”

Excerpt from The River Remembers You Chapter 7

Author Thomas V. Baker

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