Thunder on the Plains Read Free Page B

“But, according to the Indian way of looking at things, each race of man has a special place in this world. A special gift or job set for us by the Creator. Our task, the Indian task, is to protect the earth and all the plants and animals that live on the earth with us. Our special gift is knowing that all things on this earth are related. This is what my grandmother taught me.”
    I had to think about that for a minute.
    â€œIt all sounds really nice, Mom, but not really relevant in today’s world.”
    She took a deep breath. “Relevant? When did you start using such big words?” She stood up. “What’s relevant is the fact that you’ve been suspended from school,” she continued. “I have to find something to do with you for three days next week while I’m at work. So I want you to go to your room and listen toRoad Kill or Road Warriors or whatever their name is and let Bill and me talk about this.”
    Bill again. Why did
he
always have to be involved?
    I marched into my room and closed the door. Cranking up Road Warriors, I put on my headphones. I dove into the food Bill had left for me earlier like I hadn’t eaten for a week. “Don’t Hate Me” rocked full blast in my head.

Chapter 4
Exiled
    I stayed in my room while Mom and Bill talked about what to do. They didn’t know that I could hear what they were saying through the air conditioning vent. She told him about my uncle Robert who lived on the reservation.
    â€œRobert is a social worker for the Rocky Point Tribe,” Mom told Bill. “He’s an experienced horseman and all-round outdoorsman. I have a feeling that he might have some ideas about how to help Danny.”
    Bill agreed that Mom should call him, at least to see if he did have ideas.
    When Saturday came, Mom said I was grounded and wouldn’t be going to baseball practice. She and Bill had decided I would clean out the garage instead. While I was doing that, she called my dad’s brother, Robert,on the Rocky Point Reservation. They talked about me.
    Then, that afternoon, when Bill came home after working half a day at the bank, he and Mom talked about me some more.
    By the time the garage was clean, I’d had enough. I couldn’t stay on the sidelines while my future was being decided. I walked in on Mom and Bill in the middle of their talk.
    â€œI want to know what’s going on. I want to have a vote in what happens. I’m old enough now.”
    â€œAll right,” Mom said. “Sit down.”
    That was a surprise. I sat on the couch.
    â€œRobert said this is an important time in your life,” she said. “You are starting to make the change from boyhood to manhood. You need to go through a rite of passage to mark this change.”
    â€œWhat’s a rite of passage? I’ve never heard of that.”
    â€œIt’s something you do to help you go from child to adult,” Mom said. “Different tribeshave different ways of doing that, Robert said. It’s a kind of challenge you have to complete.”
    That sounded a little scary. “What kind of challenge?” I asked.
    â€œWe’ll get to that. Your uncle holds a camp in the summer for American Indian teenagers for just that purpose. He invited you to come up this summer for the camp.”
    â€œYou mean go to Montana?”
    â€œThat’s right. You can stay with Robert and your cousins. Oh, and your grandma and grandpa live with them, too. You haven’t seen any of them since you were little.”
    Spend a couple of weeks in the middle of nowhere? How could they even think I’d be okay with that?
    â€œSounds like a terrible idea,” I said loudly.
    â€œRobert wants you spend the summer with them so you can really find out about your tribal roots. He thinks it will also help you move on from the loss of your dad.”
    â€œThe whole summer? That’s the worst torture I could imagine! You