Leoti (5 page)

“Answer me! What am I doing here? If I’m hurt why am I not in a hospital?”

“One question at a time beautiful.” He exhaled a deep chuckle, which made her smile involuntarily. She quickly covered it. “Leoti is often said in the
Siksikáwa
Nation. It’s my tribe. We are a plains people. Leoti takes on different meanings. It was the first name that came to mind when I found you. I wasn’t even aware I spoke it. But it does suit you.”

“Found me?”

“Like I said, there was an accident not far from here. You were traveling on the wrong side of the road. Your car went over.”

“I drove off the road?”

“I found you in the car, helpless, alone. That is what Leoti meant then. Lost flower in the prairie.”

“What does it mean now?” she asked.

“Careful we Blackfoot love to tell stories,” he said and Po walked over. She looked at the dog then to him. The room had a fireplace too but it was far more intimate and cozy. It glowed beyond the bed and the flames cast shadows and light over his handsome face. He was the kind of beautiful that seemed surreal, not feminine, or soft. No his beauty was in his calm manner.

“I’d like to hear the story,” she said. His attention was something she could get used to.

He nodded. “As a boy more of my people lived near these mountains. Most have moved on. My grandfather would not.”

Josie liked when he spoke. She liked the sound of his voice and the poetic delivery of his words. Soon she was hanging on every syllable. The harsh uneven rhythm of her breathing slowed. Everything about him brought peace. “My father’s father who was often called Bull Bear, a name of prominence with my people, raised me. He showed me many things. He was a very good hunter and could build anything with his hands. I learned a lot from him.”

“He sounds like a good man,” she said.

Elu cast his eyes away, toward the fireplace. She watched him now. The muscles in his jaw clenched and she heard a longing in his voice when he spoke. The loss of this person must still cause him pain. A pair of dark orbs with golden flecks in the most handsome face returned to her. “Yes he was a good man, he taught me the power of healing, which is all I’m trying to do for you.” He reached and touched her hand. Josie looked down at his touch then back to his eyes. She didn’t move her hand. It wasn’t a touch of intimacy. He had genuine concern in his eyes and voice. “There was a day when I was lost like people before me. I wandered and wandered for hours. The sun set and rose and I still couldn’t find my way.” He squeezed her hand. “I found myself on an open prairie. The grass reached my waist. I felt small and helpless.”

“I understand,” she heard herself say. “Helpless.”

He nodded. “I fell asleep in the grass, when I awoke I saw something not far from me, a single flower. It stood proud and alone, no real chance of discovery, lost in the wilderness like myself. Yet it survived, with pink petals that stretched to the sun. It was my
Leoti
. An unexpected gift of hope.”

He let go of her hand and sat back. “Soon after, I found my grandfather with the flower as my compass. You were lost I imagine, wandering. Now you have no memory but hope isn’t gone. Some things are destined. My finding you was. So I named you ‘Leoti.’”

“What does your name mean?” she asked.

“Elu means ‘Full of Grace.’”

Josie smiled “That describes you perfectly.” The silence between them deepened, but his eyes never left hers. She didn’t know what to say. But she tried. “Why if I can’t remember my name, or my family, why do I know other things? Like how to speak and what things are, but just things and not people and places?”

“Maybe, you choose to forget? To remember only what you can handle. Maybe your soul is weary and you need time to heal.”

“Maybe.”

“But the mystery will be over soon.”

“How is that?”

Elu stood. “I’m going to find your cabin. I will gather your things. We can contact your people.”

”I have a cabin?”

“I believe so.”

“Did we meet? Before the accident?”

“Yes.”

“Where?”

“In town.”

“What did I say?”

“Not much. You were shopping, but you aren’t from here. I believe you were at a cabin, I will find out and see if others are looking for you.”

“You should have done that already. What if my family is out there? You should’ve—.”

“I apologize; my first concern was caring for you. I will look for them immediately.”

Relief washed over her. Josie sucked in a cool breath, the tea now having cleared her breathing. “Thank you, Elu,” she said holding the blanket to her chest. “Can I ask what you did with my clothes?”

Elu looked at her sheepishly. He hadn’t had a woman in his place in over four years. Maybe he did go too far in removing her bra, but he had good reason. “I’ll get them for you, afterwards I’ll leave and see if I can find your people.”

“Thank you, Elu, for bringing me out of the prairie.”

He stopped under the arch of the door and looked back. They shared another smile before he walked out.

****

“So what say you Milton, is this where the pretty black lady was staying?” Elu asked as they approached the closed up cabin.

“Yeah, it’s the Arlen rental. She handled the reservation with him through the internet or something. He’s doing all of his rentals that way since he left for contract work in Afghanistan.”

“Did he leave any contact information or leasing agreement for her?”

“Nope, she just drove up and went straight in.” Milton spat a stream of tobacco, and then wiped the spittle from his lips.

Elu checked the door finding it locked. “Open it.”

“Huh?”

“Open it.”

“I can’t do that. You know the rules, Elu.”

“The door, Milton.” Elu said again. He didn’t want to disclose to anyone about the accident. He would wait until she was better before people descended upon her. Besides he was growing very protective of her safety. Why was she driving on the wrong side of the road? Where was she going?

Milton rolled his eyes and marched up the steps. “If anything goes missing this is on you. I’m leaving! I want no parts of this. The Sheriff will have my hide, and yours too.”

Elu gave it no further thought. He walked right in, greeted by the lilac smell of her perfume.
She’d been there
. He went through the cabin. The kitchen had coffee in the pot and half eaten toast on a saucer. In the room there was paper scattered over the bed and folders that contained legal documents. Elu gathered them into a nice pile. He discovered her briefcase and tucked everything inside. He searched for anything with her name on it. Finding nothing, he packed her bags. Her purse must have been in the car with her identification. Before leaving he saw a journal resting on the nightstand. He picked it up running his hand over the leather binding. Staring at it in wonder he fingered the pink ribbon that held it closed. Something about the journal unnerved him. This was it, her thoughts, her dreams, her reality, which he burned to know more of. Respecting her privacy he tucked it in with the rest of her belongings. He then carried out her bags. The journal, not secured in the bag back out onto the cabin floor. Elu didn’t notice before he closed the door. Going to his truck he whistled for Po to jump in.

“I guess the mystery will be solved soon friend,” he sighed somewhat disappointed that she’d be gone before he really got to know her.

****

Josie slowly rose off the bed. Dressing was a chore. Wearing her own clothes made her feel stronger so she endured the discomfort. They’d been washed and neatly presented to her. Slow and steady she made her way to the kitchen, bracing her hand to her wounded side to ease the pressure of each step. She carried her mug in the other. The tea, as vile as it was, worked, and she wanted more. The raw burning was returning to her chest making it hard to breathe. At the counter she saw a box of Carlton potato crisps. Her eyes lingered then narrowed on one word.

Carlton

Strange. The feeling of awareness was fleeting. It was like catching a glimpse of a face in a passing car. She strained to recall the nugget of clarity but nothing came, just the dull ache of not knowing. Josie gripped the kitchen sink. Her head dropped and she held on to keep from going to her knees. Weak and a little nauseous, she considered the journey back to the bedroom. Could she make it?

Then the soft rumbling of a truck engine could be heard. Elu had returned. Her head lifted and she leaned forward to peer out of the kitchen window. He got out of the truck and then hauled luggage and a brief case with him. Her things! Finally something. Finally.

“Hey,” he said surprised to find her standing. “You shouldn’t be up.”

Po galloped at her and she braced at the sink before he leapt, placing his paws on her thighs, tongue wagging. Josie winced but scratched his head.

“Po, down!” Elu commanded.

“He’s okay.”

“You’re still recovering and Po will be all over you if you let him.”

Josie put the mug in the sink. “Is that my stuff?”

“Yes.”

Her stuff
. She dragged herself forward with shuffling feet. The bags weren’t familiar but she did feel comfort at having them. The briefcase is what really caught her eye. Who was she? A business woman? Someone important? Elu put her things down and her eyes went up when he approached.

“I—” Without warning she was swept into his arms. “What are you doing?” she gasped.

“You shouldn’t be on your feet,” he carried her to the sofa and placed her gently upon it. The warmth of that embrace lingered as he released her. His face was close, for a moment they shared an intense awareness and he paused. He gave her another appraisal and it wasn’t the doctor patient kind. No this time he was all man, and she felt the heat and desire burning within his caring eyes. She inhaled sharply when he withdrew. The break in their connection caused a surge of disappointment. How could this man have that affect on her when she didn’t even know him? She didn’t even know herself.

“Thank you,” she muttered under her breath.

Elu nodded, not reading her body language. He couldn’t have by the distance he put between them. Or did he? He retrieved her bags and placed them at her feet. Josie ignored the suitcase and duffle bag. She put the briefcase on her lap and opened it. File folders with what looked to be clippings and articles about black slaves and indigenous people around the Sea Islands off the coast of Florida. There were legal documents and more shockingly, a few arrest photos with inmates name and details on their appeals. She found notes, lots of notes as if she were writing a research paper.

“This is crazy. I’m either a cop or college student?”

“Is that what it says?” Elu asked.

She frowned and nodded. Josie spent the next twenty minutes going through the files. Reading the stories on the Gullah people fascinated her but nothing sparked. In fact she felt more dread than anything else when she read the inmate case profiles and her notes on an appellate process. There were names listed all over the documents but she couldn’t tell if any were her own.

“Was there anything else?”

“A typewriter,” he said. “The antique kind with raised keys and a sliding roll. You know?”

“Yeah. I must have been a professor instead of a student. Maybe I taught law?”

Elu sat across from her in his favorite recliner. Po’s head rested upon his lap. He stroked the dog behind the ears. He didn’t want to speak and further agitate a tense moment, because the tension between her wrinkled brows showed she was not happy at what she was reading. A professor? He didn’t really consider that the career for her, but she had a wisdom about her. He felt it. Or did he just see what he wanted to with his Leoti? She belonged to a world outside of his that was evident by those fancy heels he’d had to remove from her feet.

“Is this all? What about a purse or wallet?”

Elu shrugged. “There was nothing like that there.”

Josie frowned. “I came to town with no identification?”

“The car you were in exploded, I’m sure it was in there. I can go check tomorrow.”

She slammed down the briefcase. Her eyes shined with guarded tears.

“Leoti, all’s not lost. Give it time.”

“You don’t know how it feels!” she snapped. She dropped her head back and closed her eyes. A tear rolled. Po went to her and rested his head on her knee. It was hard for either of them to see her in pain. “I’m sorry,” she said. “You’ve been kind. I just feel like I’m sleepwalking. What if I’m married? What if I have kids and they’re waiting on me?”

“You have no ring.” Elu added.

Josie looked at her hand. She felt strongly like a ring should be there. But there wasn’t. Not even a tan line. “I don’t know what to do.”

“A week, maybe two, give it time and let it come. We will figure it out. I promise you.”

“I can’t impose on you like this.”

“Consider it a favor. I would enjoy the company. Besides, that head wound will heal soon and your memory will return.”