Page 74 of Five Alarm Love
Tuli rested the fork on his plate.“If you knew, then why did you ask me?”
She cut a piece of chicken and chewed thoughtfully, then said, “To see what you’d say.”
“You’re spying on me?”
“Easy to do in a town with no secrets.”
Actually, there might be a few secrets left, despite Tuli’s screwup with Lou earlier this week.“Whatever happened to privacy?”
“This happened in public.Besides, Yukon Valley and the Koyukon village?We’re all one community.Many lives, interconnected.”Then she waited.
“You ever want to live in a different community?Less connected.More privacy.”
“Why?”she asked.“What do you mean by different?Different from what?”
“Traditional life versus… nontraditional.”
“I’m not following.”
“You’re an elder, so you’re involved in the Athabascan traditions and preserving local culture.”
“Are you asking if I want something different than that?No.I love our home here.I am proud of our culture and heritage.I love this community.People look out for one another here.”She paused and peered at him.“Mostly.”
“What about the modern world?Would you want to be in a more modern home?”
“This one is plenty modern.I have a microwave and electricity.Running water!”She craned her neck around.“A TV and cell phone!”
“Um, it’s a flip phone.”
Grandma rested her chin on a fist.“I choose not to upgrade.It still dials your number.”
“Huh.Good point.”
“Besides, why can’t you have both?Traditional and modern life.”
Tuli absently rubbed his bruised cheekbone.“I don’t understand.”
“This place, this land, is a part of who I am.It’s part of who you are too.Traditions are important because they connect us to the land and our ancestors.They guide how we move forward in the world.”
He nodded.
“But you can make your own way by bringing the past to inform your future.Nothing is fixed in stone.Our culture has been around for thousands of years, like the Yukon River.During some years in the spring floods, even our solid, reliable Yukon River changes its course.It cuts new paths on its way to the ocean.”
Still goes to the same place, though.“What if my future isn’t turning out how I wanted it to be?”
“How so?”
He tapped the edge of the plate.Privacy was important, but he still wanted his Grandma’s guidance.“What if I might not have a traditional family, like I always wanted?”
Ruth paused and gave him a thoughtful expression.“You know your father was a good boy growing up.”
That was not the direction Tuli was going, but he leaned forward, respecting her words.Based on his memories, this description of Tuli’s father wasn’t accurate.Her statement didn’t fit his painful experience.“Sure.”
“He wasn’t a goodman, though.Or a good father.”
“Yeah, I know.”Tuli had fought against embodying the temper and impatience traits he recalled his father having.
“I think he wanted to be a good father.”She sighed.“When he walked his own path in life, it meant that my dream of a perfect family didn’t turn out how I had envisioned it, either,” she said with a wistful smile.
