as well as freedom of movement. Packing the last of her personal items into a box that she would leave in the back of her SUV for her return, she glanced at the clock. Eight-fifteen, give or take.
She wondered when Dylan would show up, and if she’d have the courage to explain herself to him. The boy was so decent. In a way, though, he was like Thurston. Not that he saw everything in black and white, but he did seem to see things as either right or wrong. He may not understand her position. He may even talk out of turn, but it was a risk she’d have to take. She was going to need his support to get to the bottom of this. Hector was a dear, but at nearly seventy, he wasn’t physically capable of what may need to be done. Dylan was her only hope.
At eight-thirty, staff began to arrive. Wanda’s secretary came to her door to tell her she had a visitor, and she stifled a cry when she saw the walls bare and the box on the desk.
“Tess, don’t panic. I’ll explain when I’ve seen my visitor. Who is it?”
“Dylan Chaves, Ms. Mayor,” Tess choked. She turned to show him in, even before Wanda could tell her to, and then fled to the ladies’ room. Wanda sighed. It was going to be a long day.
“Come in Dylan, sit down, and thank you for coming,” she greeted him.
“Tia Wanda, you knew I would, right?” he asked, kissing her cheek.
“I hoped so.”
“I don’t have much time, I’m sorry. I’m meeting Rick at the cop shop in an hour.”
“Then I’ll get right to it. How much do you remember of Tohono O’odham history from school?” she asked.
Puzzled, Dylan answered slowly. “Not much. They used to be called the Papago, but that was some sort of insult, and the tribe fought to get their own name recognized. Tohono O’odham means The Desert People. Why?”
“Because, what I’m about to tell you is all about the history of the tribe, and what it means for today’s members. Don’t worry,” she added, seeing his impatience. “I’ll be quick, and I’ll tie it in.”
Dylan curbed his impatience to give his aunt a chance to tell the story her way, though he feared it would mean nothing to him.
“What people forget, or perhaps never knew,” she began, “is that the ancestral lands of our people were once a vast area, extending from the San Pedro River in the east to the Gulf of California in the west. The northern border was north of Phoenix, and it extended south, deep into what is now Sonora, Mexico. Yes,” she said, noting that Dylan flinched in surprise when she said Sonora.
She went on, “In 1853, the Gadsden Purchase divided our land almost in half. The border between Mexico and the United States divided our people when the governments of these countries began to deny us our language and culture. No one bothered to tell us that our lands were being bought and sold without our knowledge or agreement.
“We traveled freely across this artificial border with no interference, until the nineteen-twenties, when Mexico established a reservation on their side of the border that took away much of our land, just as the American government had done north of the border. Even then, neither government paid much attention to our comings and goings.”
“That’s terrible, Tia Wanda,” Dylan said. “But what does it have to do with this situation?”
“Patience, nephew. This was all before my time, but I saw the trouble that came from it first-hand as I grew up on the rez. Families were divided by the border, and the more restrictions that were placed on travel between our two countries, the worse it became for our culture. People north of the border could no longer cross to winter grazing with their animals. People south of the border could not get to markets in the US to sell their baskets. You know of the poverty of our tribe - this is how it happened.”
At Dylan’s show of impatience, Wanda held up her hand.
“I’m getting to it. One last thing about the border, and then I’ll tell you
She wondered when Dylan would show up, and if she’d have the courage to explain herself to him. The boy was so decent. In a way, though, he was like Thurston. Not that he saw everything in black and white, but he did seem to see things as either right or wrong. He may not understand her position. He may even talk out of turn, but it was a risk she’d have to take. She was going to need his support to get to the bottom of this. Hector was a dear, but at nearly seventy, he wasn’t physically capable of what may need to be done. Dylan was her only hope.
At eight-thirty, staff began to arrive. Wanda’s secretary came to her door to tell her she had a visitor, and she stifled a cry when she saw the walls bare and the box on the desk.
“Tess, don’t panic. I’ll explain when I’ve seen my visitor. Who is it?”
“Dylan Chaves, Ms. Mayor,” Tess choked. She turned to show him in, even before Wanda could tell her to, and then fled to the ladies’ room. Wanda sighed. It was going to be a long day.
“Come in Dylan, sit down, and thank you for coming,” she greeted him.
“Tia Wanda, you knew I would, right?” he asked, kissing her cheek.
“I hoped so.”
“I don’t have much time, I’m sorry. I’m meeting Rick at the cop shop in an hour.”
“Then I’ll get right to it. How much do you remember of Tohono O’odham history from school?” she asked.
Puzzled, Dylan answered slowly. “Not much. They used to be called the Papago, but that was some sort of insult, and the tribe fought to get their own name recognized. Tohono O’odham means The Desert People. Why?”
“Because, what I’m about to tell you is all about the history of the tribe, and what it means for today’s members. Don’t worry,” she added, seeing his impatience. “I’ll be quick, and I’ll tie it in.”
Dylan curbed his impatience to give his aunt a chance to tell the story her way, though he feared it would mean nothing to him.
“What people forget, or perhaps never knew,” she began, “is that the ancestral lands of our people were once a vast area, extending from the San Pedro River in the east to the Gulf of California in the west. The northern border was north of Phoenix, and it extended south, deep into what is now Sonora, Mexico. Yes,” she said, noting that Dylan flinched in surprise when she said Sonora.
She went on, “In 1853, the Gadsden Purchase divided our land almost in half. The border between Mexico and the United States divided our people when the governments of these countries began to deny us our language and culture. No one bothered to tell us that our lands were being bought and sold without our knowledge or agreement.
“We traveled freely across this artificial border with no interference, until the nineteen-twenties, when Mexico established a reservation on their side of the border that took away much of our land, just as the American government had done north of the border. Even then, neither government paid much attention to our comings and goings.”
“That’s terrible, Tia Wanda,” Dylan said. “But what does it have to do with this situation?”
“Patience, nephew. This was all before my time, but I saw the trouble that came from it first-hand as I grew up on the rez. Families were divided by the border, and the more restrictions that were placed on travel between our two countries, the worse it became for our culture. People north of the border could no longer cross to winter grazing with their animals. People south of the border could not get to markets in the US to sell their baskets. You know of the poverty of our tribe - this is how it happened.”
At Dylan’s show of impatience, Wanda held up her hand.
“I’m getting to it. One last thing about the border, and then I’ll tell you
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