From Here to Paternity

she’d promised herself to enjoy the evening without thinking about the whole thing and firmly put it out of her mind.
    “You know, I was so interested in the main courses at dinner that I completely forgot to think about dessert,“ she said. “I must be sliding right into senility!“
    “Then I think we better remedy that,“ Mel said.
    They found the little boys in the game room, which was unfortunate in a way because they’d almost run out of money and Jane had to give them some more; then she and Mel went to the formal dining room, which was nearly empty.
    “Is it too late to just have coffee and dessert?“ Jane asked the maître d’.
    “Not at all,“ he assured them, leading the way to the Cigar Room, where the same young man who had been there the night before was manning the dessert cart. Linda Moose foot was the only other customer, and she’d been talking with him when they entered.
    “Dance refugees?“ she greeted them. She looked a bit tousled herself and Jane thought she remembered seeing Linda fleetingly at the dance. Apparently off-duty employees were welcome to attend, which made Jane like Tenny and Joanna even more.
    “Will you join us?“ Mel said.
    “Sure.“
    They talked for a while about the dance, Linda’s schooling, and the resort. The young man with the dessert cart sat down and joined them as well. It turned out he was Thomas Whitewing, Linda’s fiancé. When they’d finished their dessert, he offered Mel a cigar from a wooden box stamped with the resort’s logo, which Mel declined.
    “I’d sure like a cigarette,“ Jane said. “Do you have any, Thomas? I bought a pack, but I’ve lost it somewhere.“
    “We don’t sell them here, but I’ve got some. Take a couple,“ he said, pulling a nearly full pack from his back pocket.
    “Don’t buy another gift-shop pack,“ Linda said. “I’ll pick up some at the general store for you in the morning. They’re only forty-five cents a pack.“
    “You’re kidding! How can that be?“
    Linda smiled. “One of the benefits of being an Indian. The general store is on the tribe’s land. Reservation.“ When Jane still looked blank, she said, “It’s federal land. All reservations are. So we’re not subject to state laws and taxation. Cheap cigarettes and no sales tax or property tax. Want just a pack or a carton?“
    “A carton is tempting, but it’s against my own rules to own more than one full pack at a time. I’m quitting, you see,“ she added nobly.
    “She’s been quitting for as long as I’ve known her,“ Mel added.
    “I haven’t seen HawkHunter around tonight,“ Jane said. “He wasn’t hurt seriously in the fight, was he?“ She hadn’t even realized she was wondering about him until she heard herself inquiring. He must have been quietly batting around in her subconscious for some time.
    Linda and her fiancé exchanged quick looks; then Linda said, “Thomas and I don’t quite agree about HawkHunter and Little Feather.“
    “Oh?“ Jane said invitingly.
    “I don’t much like him. Thomas does.“
    “Not unreservedly,“ Thomas put in. “But he is putting some fire and spunk into the tribe.“
    “And I think ‘fire and spunk’ just mean discontent,“ Linda said. “And no, to answer your question, Mrs. Jeffry, HawkHunter’s not seriously hurt. But he’s refusing to have anything done about replacing his tooth. He’s carrying on about that gap in his mouth as if every white man in Colorado had suddenly descended on him at once and pulled out all his teeth with pliers, just because he’s an Indian. It’s a badge. Proof of prejudice against the whole Indian culture. Blah, blah, blah.“
    Thomas smiled at her dotingly. “Aw, come on, Linda, it wasn’t that bad.“
    “But, Thomas, it was! And it was stupid. Pete Andrews no more represents all whites than you or I represent all Indians. And HawkHunter had no business bothering him a few hours after his uncle was discovered murdered. Anybody would have been upset in that situation and lashed out in some way at a person who annoyed them. It was rude and disrespectful of HawkHunter.“
    Thomas nodded. “Maybe so. Yeah, you’re right about that, but just the same, the tribe’s gotten too complacent. Too lazy.“
    “Too happy?“ Linda asked. “Except for some of the guests treating us like tourist attractions and staring at us, tell me how you’ve ever suffered from being an Indian. We both go to good schools on scholarships and grants we