Brave Beginnings by Ruth Ann Nordin Page A

better. At least that wasn’t so confining.
    Anthony handed him a leather belt. “This will
be mostly for looks. You don’t need it to hold the pants up.”
    With a nod, he looped it through the pant
holes.
    “And a bandana to complete the look,” the man
added, handing him a red bandana with a dark blue square design on
it. “It goes around your neck.”
    Chogan thought the red contrasted sharply
against the blue clothes but figured Anthony knew what he was doing
so he obeyed and slipped it around his neck.
    The man chuckled. “I’m sorry. I should have
shown you how to tie it.” Reaching up, the man made a loose knot
and then motioned to the mirror. “What do you think?”
    Chogan turned to the mirror and took in the
changes in his appearance. Had it not been for his long hair and
dark skin, he wouldn’t have known it was him. He took a deep
breath. It would take time to get used to this new life and the
clothes that came with it. His gaze fell to Julia who was looking
at his reflection in the mirror. He smiled, his unease
lessening.
    She returned his smile and walked over to
him. “Thank you,” she whispered.
    Had they been alone, he would have kissed
her. But they weren’t alone, so he turned to his old clothes and
picked them up. “We go cut hair.”
    She went over to the owner and paid him for
the clothes. “We will need a suit for church.”
    “That’ll be on me,” he told her. “You two got
a lot of good and bad times coming, but I can tell when a couple is
in love. Consider it my wedding gift.”
    “Oh, well that’s awfully nice of you.”
    “It’s nothing. At one time my grandparents
were starting a life together. I see you and imagine what they must
have looked like.” He turned to Chogan. “I’ll have a suit made for
you within a week.”
    “Thank you,” Chogan replied.
    “I’ll be in touch,” the owner said.
    With a wave, Julia left and Chogan
followed.
     
    ***
     
    Julia slowly woke from her slumber. For a
moment, she thought it had all been a dream—a very realistic one at
that. But then she felt the arm around her waist and the body
snuggled against her back and realized it had been real after
all.
    Her exhaustion had caught up with her once
she and Chogan consummated the marriage, and despite her
excitement, she had fallen asleep. The day had been a full one with
getting the new clothes, taking Chogan to the barber, returning
home to get her room set up to accommodate two people instead of
one, and trying to catch up on everything that had happened with
her brother and Woape since she’d last seen them.
    When it was time to go to bed, a mixture of
excitement and apprehension about the physical aspect of her
marriage prevented her from relaxing right away. But Chogan had
taken his time with her and been gentle.
    She closed her eyes, thinking that she might
go back to sleep. The room was still dark, so she knew it was in
the middle of the night. She rolled over so that she was facing her
husband and smiled. He slept, his breathing even and deep. She
couldn’t make out much of his face in the dim light, but he looked
peaceful.
    Her body still tingled in the places where he
had touched and kissed her. She hadn’t been so aware of her body
before, and now that she was and knew the pleasures it was capable
of producing, she longed to experience more of it.
    “Chogan?” she whispered, running her hand
over his strong bicep and up to his neck.
    She noted the absence of his long hair with a
heavy sigh. She missed the rich black hair that had fallen down his
back. Maybe he could grow his hair back and be fine. If she had
seen other Indians who worked in Bismarck, then she’d know if his
haircut had been a good idea or not. Perhaps they had been too
eager to get him to fit in.
    “Chogan?”
    He stirred from sleep and opened his eyes.
Then he smiled. “It nice to see you.”
    She chuckled and wiggled closer to him. “It’s
nice to see you too.”
    She didn’t wait for him to