Tinsel (Lark Cove #4)(36)

Sofia nodded, settling for my one-word explanation.

Her questions were innocent enough, but only a few people knew about the dynamic in our family. I didn’t talk about it to anyone in Lark Cove except Xavier and Hazel, mostly because it was difficult for outsiders to understand.

But I had an urge to delve deeper, to let Sofia see beneath the surface.

“My family doesn’t approve of me living off the reservation.”

Her eyebrows came together. “Why?”

“There’s a bunch of reasons. Tradition. Loyalty. Politics. Take your pick.”

“Politics?”

I nodded. “Have you ever heard of blood quantum?”

“No.”

“It’s basically the amount of pure Blackfeet blood you have. My family has one of the strongest bloodlines left in the world. To keep it simple, you could say I’m as close to a full-blood Blackfeet, which is very rare these days.”

“Interesting.” She sipped her water. “How does that lead to complicated?”

“There has been an ongoing debate on the reservation for the last decade about who can enroll with the tribe, who can be officially deemed part of the Blackfeet Nation. In the Blackfeet constitution, it’s based on blood quantum. Basically, you have to have a certain percentage of Blackfeet blood to be considered part of the tribe. Others are fighting to amend the constitution and remove the blood quantum requirement. Make it more inclusive just based on lineal descent.”

“Why is that important?”

“Because if you’re an enrolled member of the tribe, you get certain benefits. Subsidized health care. Educational grants. Payments. The right to vote in tribal elections or hold an elected office.”

“I see.” She nodded. “Which side of the argument are you on?”

“Neither. I see pros and cons to each side of the argument. But since my parents are strongly opposed to open enrollment—removing the blood quantum stipulation—me not picking their side caused a rift.”

“So because of political reasons, you don’t get along with your family?”

I sighed. “That’s a piece of it. My parents had hoped I’d eventually become part of the tribal council. Support their argument. But mostly, they want me to carry on the family line. Before my sisters got married, they were each given a list of the men they could have children with that wouldn’t dilute our heritage.”

“What?” Her mouth fell open. “That’s insane. What if they fell in love with someone else?”

“They wouldn’t have even let themselves get close to someone who wasn’t an option. Their husbands are both nice guys. They have the same stance on things. So it works for them.”

“But not you? Did you meet someone they didn’t approve of or something?”

I shook my head. “No. But I didn’t want the pressure to get married or get the right job or get on board with the right political beliefs. As I got older, it just got more suffocating. My family, they’re good people. They just have this idea of how life should be. I had a different idea. We clashed.”

We clashed about things so fundamental it was hard to find common ground anymore.

As a young man, I’d always thought I’d have kids. Children were an important part of our culture and heritage, and I’d always pictured myself as a father one day. But then the pressure to have them with the right woman had set in.

I’d only been a freshman in high school when Dad had sat me down and told me that when I was ready to mate, I had to be sure to wear a condom with the women who weren’t the right ones.

Two of his friends on the tribal council had daughters around my age. Dad had told me that if I happened to forget a condom with them, it wouldn’t be the end of the world.

That had just been the beginning.

“When I came back from the dude ranch, things got worse and worse at home. Dad and I were arguing almost every day about things. Mom and my sisters were constantly nagging at me to settle down. Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore. So I left.”

I’d called up Xavier and he’d given me an escape.

His reasons for leaving the reservation had been similar. The pressure from my grandmother and his brother—my father—to be a certain person and do certain things had driven him away.

So when I’d called him out of the blue, he’d understood.

Xavier hadn’t been around a lot when I’d grown up, but he’d made it a point to know me and my sisters, even though he’d had his own rift with my father.

I wasn’t sure what Dad hated more: that I’d left, or that I’d called Xavier for help.

“Is it like that for everyone on the reservation?” Sofia asked.

“No. I don’t mean to make it sound like they’re prejudiced. They aren’t at all. They just love our people. Our culture is ingrained in them so deeply, to them it’s everything. And they fight to protect it. Part of that is defending it fiercely. A son who defies it gets put through his paces, if that makes sense.”

“It does.” She nodded. “So what would happen if you had kids who weren’t—I don’t know if it’s the right term, but—full blood?”

“Nothing,” I muttered. “That’s the thing. They’d be kids. They’d be free to live however they wanted. They’d have enough blood quantum to be part of the tribe. But my parents don’t see it quite like that. They were raised to believe that marrying a Blackfeet partner was the best way. Just like their parents before them. And their parents before that. They don’t see why I wouldn’t want to do the same. They’re blinded by tradition and pride. By fear. They’re terrified that our people’s traditions are being forgotten.”