Monsters and Dust

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Loretta used to work at a Waffle House in Michigan. She was Cherokee but never told anyone. She used to tell when people asked, but in Olympia she preferred to lie. She didn’t look especially Indian, but most people knew Indians from Bonanza so whether she looked Indian or not didn’t really matter. She didn’t look like Hollywood, she looked like Michigan. She was big boned and corn fed with unapologetic hands.

Before she quit the Waffle House a pair of brothers came in and sat down. The taller one was younger with more facial hair. He also had more to say. He had asked her if she was Indian. The first thing he said.

“Yeah. What’s it to you,” Loretta had said not asked. She had been holding the coffee pot over his lap. She didn’t yet know if she liked them or not. The older brother rubbed the younger one’s head.

“I wanna see the Chief. I never seen a chief,” the younger boy said. “How’d I get to see the Chief?”

Loretta slammed a spoon and let the slamming sound dispel before she spoke. “Nobody sees the Chief,” she spat. “Coffee?”

It smelled like fresh bacon.

The two boys nodded.

“Thanks,” said the older.

“What does the Chief do if no one sees him?” the younger asked. “I thought he had to make decisions for his tribe. Does he have a tribe still?”

Loretta rolled her eyes. “’Course he’s got a tribe. He’s the Chief. The Chief’s an important man.”

“Can I see him?”

The older one did not blink at his younger brother’s nerve. Unblinking, Loretta watched them both. Still deciding.

They were OK. She might not like them separately, but she liked their brotherness. “You can’t just go and see the Chief.” She felt like she might teach them something. Manners and hierarchy. “You gotta have a reason to see the Chief, and you gotta be important enough to see the Chief yourself. And even then he might not see you. Hardly anyone talks to the Chief directly.”

“Serious?” Older eyebrows rose. He was playing with a piece of cucumber that she forgot to clean up.

Loretta nodded. “You boys want breakfast?”