Benjen at 18
“Hey, look at the Injun! What are you doing here, redskin?”
Ignoring the jeers from the guys sitting on the bank of Honey Creek, he continued to tread water. The detractors were locals, all a few years older than him. Benjen was enjoying his swim too much to be distracted by people who were not important to him. He’d come down to the river to gather cattails for their pollen. He used the yellow powdery substance called hoddentin, a sacred pollen, in many of the rituals he performed, always carrying a portion in the buckskin bag he wore on his belt.
“Freak! His hair is so long!” A guy wearing a Cowboy’s cap with a gold front tooth laughed as he drank his beer. “Are you a warrior or a fag?”
“Did you know you’re trespassing on private property?” Benjen asked calmly as he broke off another cattail and threw it up on the bank.
“I didn’t think you people owned land off the reservation.” This wise-ass comment was made by a dude with a shaved head and a ginger goatee.
“Well, we do. When you passed the fork upstream, you crossed onto Blackhawk land.” Benjen swam out to the middle of the river, debating whether to go about his business or engage in additional trash talk with the redneck locals.
“Impossible, white people took your land away a century ago. You have to live in our world now.”
Benjen shook his head, not really knowing if the guy was just argumentative or truly mentally challenged. “We abide by most white customs. I’ve only scalped a half-dozen jerks like you this year.”
“Why, you dirty…” One of the others stumbled to his feet, seemingly ready to jump in the water when his game plan was interrupted by the arrival of two girls.
“Hey, guys. Care for some company?”
“You bet!” A pimply-faced blond guy jumped up to meet the female newcomers. “Who is your friend, Denise?” he asked the tall brunette with a pixie haircut.
Benjen’s decision to leave was abruptly changed when he laid his eyes on a beautiful blonde hanging back from the others. She wasn’t dressed like her friend, who wore short-shorts and a halter top. No, this little doll looked like a throwback to the fifties in pedal-pushers and a sleeveless top. Even in the warm water, Benjen could feel chill bumps rise all over his body. A sense of destiny rose in his breast. Cocking his head, he waited impatiently to learn her name.
“This is my friend, Kelli Conway. She just recently moved to Kingsland. Her dad is the new Baptist preacher.”
There was more talk, but Benjen didn’t hear. His total attention was focused on the gorgeous girl. She seemed to be shy and not into whatever was being said to her. When the goatee guy joined them and tried to put his arm around the blonde, she backed away. Her retreat didn’t seem to sit well with her would-be suitor who grabbed Kelli by the shoulder and yanked her close to him.
“Stop! Don’t!”
She didn’t need to say a word more as far as Benjen was concerned. “Get your damn hands off her!” He swam the few feet until his feet touched bottom and then he began to stride out to the shore.
“Holy Fuck. Who’s that?” Denise asked as she turned her eyes to the river. “Look at those shoulders. Look at that hair. He’s a god!”
“Put your eyes back in your head, Denise. He’s a dirty Indian, that’s all!”
“Don’t say things like that! You’re rude!” Kelli spoke up as she continued to fight off the unwanted attention.
The girls’ admiration didn’t sit well with their male cohorts. They formed a barrier between Benjen and Kelli, who was still struggling to keep her handsy admirer at arm’s length.
“I said leave her alone!” With one swipe of his arm, he pushed the duo out of the way and grabbed the goateed wonder by the scruff of his neck. “Back-off, jerk!” He slung the guy to one side as he bent to check on the girl. “Are you okay?”
She nodded but pointed behind him. “Watch out!”
Benjen turned in time to see the three Mouseketeers rushing him. Giving a war whoop, he broadened his stance and braced for the impact. Kelli and Denise squealed their alarm as the tussle began.
“You want to play cowboys and Indians? Bring it on!” Having spent years in horseplay with his older brothers, Benjen welcomed the challenge. He fought the young men off easily, tossing them one by one into the river.
“Gah, you are incredible!” A hand snaked up his arm, but it was the wrong hand.
“Thanks.” He gave Denise a polite smile, before turning to Kelli. The moment their eyes met, he felt the Earth move. Time seemed to slow down and Benjen knew this girl would be someone who would change his life. “My name is Benjen Blackhawk and I’d be honored to escort you safely home.”
“Yes, please, I’d like that, Benjen.”
When she smiled at him, he felt his heart swell. “My truck and my clothes are a few yards downstream.” When he offered her his arm and she took it, Benjen felt ten feet tall.
…And from that moment their separate paths became one…