Chapter 3
Sully was focused on the road before him but his mind wandering towards Boston. The uneasy feeling hadn't left him. He called Michaela before they left but couldn't detect something in her voice. He had heard many people in the background. It seemed as if her mind wasn't with him.
He promised he'd call her when they arrived at the camp. What he wanted most of all was to drive on to Boston instead. He sighed.
"Something wrong, little brother?" Alex asked.
"No," Sully answered.
"Heard anything from Mike?" Alex knew it bothered him she wasn't with them. He'd never seen his little brother like this: in love.
"Yes, I have to tell you to be careful and have fun," he smiled.
Alex knew Sully was fretting about something but like him, he wasn't much of a talker. If it was something important he knew Cloud Dancing would guide him.
Just a few more minutes and they would arrive at the reservation. Cloud Dancing and Snowbird had moved there five years ago. They wanted to live closer to their people. This way Cloud Dancing could share his medicine knowledge with others and keep their beliefs alive.
The camp came in sight. They couldn't see it properly because it was hidden behind a tree line. Sully parked the car and turned off the engine. He could feel the peace already. Looking at Alex he saw he felt the same. This had become their home. It had been too long since they visited here. Sully helped Alex out of the car so they could go and meet their friends. They would fetch the belongings later. Luckily the path was accessible for the wheelchair.
"Ha-ho" Cloud Dancing and Snowbird greeted them. He hugged Alex first "You look good my friend." Cloud Dancing smiled.
Snowbird had welcomed Sully and saw a gleam in his eyes she'd never seen before. Cloud Dancing saw it too but only hugged him and guided them both to their home.
They spent the afternoon catching up on what had happened in their lives. Sully also told them about Michaela. They recognized how he spoke about her with love. Sharing a glance with each other, Cloud Dancing and Snowbird smiled.
Time was going by fast, and the sun let them know the day had almost come to an end. Sully still had to get their luggage. As he was about to walk to the car Cloud Dancing stopped him, "Wait, I'll help you."
Sully nodded.
"You look happy. She must be very special." Cloud Dancing continued. "She is," Sully assured him.
"Maybe I will meet her someday."
"She wanted to come along this time but she had to go home to her parents. Maybe next time," Sully hoped.
Cloud Dancing could tell that something was bothering Sully, but obviously he wasn't ready to talk about it. As they got closer to the edge of the wood, Sully's cell phone rang a few times. A few missed calls and text messages from Michaela.
"Oh no!" He'd totally forgotten to call her. But why hadn't he heard his phone earlier?
Cloud Dancing saw his questioning look. "There's no reception in the village, because of the trees and the mountains," Cloud Dancing explained.
Sully ran his hand trough his hair. How could he forget to call her? "I'm sorry, do you mind?" Sully pointed at his cell phone.
"No, go ahead. Give me your keys. I'll get your stuff out of the car. Take your time." Cloud Dancing understood.
When Sully dialed the number it only rang once. "Sully, are you alright?" a worried voice on the other end of the line asked.
"Yes I am," Sully answered. "I'm sorry you didn't hear from me, apparently there's no reception at the village," he apologized.
"Why didn't you call when you arrived?" she wondered.
"I didn't thinkā¦" Sully couldn't finish his sentence and was interrupted. "Yes, you didn't think, I'm worried sick." She was a bit angry.
"I'm truly sorry, Michaela. We were happy to be here and wanted to see Cloud Dancing. We haven't seen him over a year," he tried to explain.
"I know, sorry I snapped at you. I was just waiting for your call." Michaela apologized.
"I understand. I would've waited, too." Sully knew she didn't mean to be so harsh but was just as worried as he was yesterday. He turned the conversation around. "I wish you were standing next to me."
"I wish that, too," she replied in a low voice.
"I'll try to call you every day, but please don't worry if it's late in the evening. We have a lot of catching up to do here," Sully said.
"Alright. As long as I hear from you, I'll be fine." Michaela sighed. "Tell Cloud Dancing I would love to meet him someday," she went on.
"Already did," he smiled.
"You talked about me?" She was surprised.
He laughed, "Of course, you are on my mind most of the day."
"Most of the day?" she asked in a playful way.
"All day," he answered. "And night," he added. He didn't get a reply and knew she was blushing. "Do you think of me?" he dared her.
"No, never," she answered.
"Never?" He played along.
"Never, ever," she continued.
"Does this mean I don't have to call you tomorrow?" He tried to be serious.
"You can try and ask me again tomorrow," she giggled.
There was a small pause. "Sully I really miss you." She felt sad.
"Me too, but let's not think about it. Just a few more weeks and I can hold you again. Think of that, I do," Sully suggested.
"I will," she whispered.
"Talk to you tomorrow and sweet dreams." Sully didn't want to end the conversation but knew it was getting late and they had to walk back.
"I love you," Michaela said before she hung up.
He closed his cell phone and sighed.
Cloud Dancing approached him, "Difficult to be separated from the one you love." He understood Sully's feelings.
"I've never felt like this. Every time I think of her or hear her voice it gets warm here." Sully pointed at his heart.
"She's your heartsong," Cloud Dancing pointed out.
"Heartsong?" Yes, she made his heart dance. His Indian brother was right.
As they were walking back to the village, Cloud Dancing explained to Sully that at the end of the week a group of children would arrive. They would go on a hunting trip with some members of the tribe. They would explain these kids more about wild life. He asked Sully if he'd liked to join them. Of course, Sully wouldn't have wanted to do anything else. Cloud Dancing had taught him a lot about the outdoors, and he would be more than happy to teach those children about it. The outdoors was his life, and if modern time wouldn't push him to go to college and end his education, his life would be here in the woods. His head told him to get a normal job but his heart was screaming for something else. Maybe his heart would win. He didn't know yet. One thing he knew for sure, he would spend his life with Michaela. No matter where.
