Who am I? Embry Call

[Embry Call]

I had been away from La Push for a while now, when I decided to search for a college that could take me in a few classes. By then, I had found people who were looking for a roommate so they let me live with them. Mark and Caroline were nice. They didn’t ask me too much questions about me, and never would push too much when I didn’t want to answer one of their questions.

I wanted to try to explore some new areas, so after talking with Mark and Caroline about different classes, I decided to try Myths and Legends as well as a French class. I found French was not an easy language to learn, though with some efforts, I did manage to do well. Myths and Legends though were a whole other story. In a way, this is what got me to start really reflecting on what happened instead of just avoiding it. One day I was sitting in class, listening to the teacher telling us a story from one of the other native American tribes when it all crashed down on me.

I had spent so long not thinking about what mom told me and that conversation with Billy that day at his house, I ended up forgetting completely about why I left in the first place. I went home after class that evening thinking on how everyone took the news. Fortunately, Jake and Quil were surprised, yet happy for me that I finally had someone related to me who could understand what I went through. Both Sam and I grew up without our father with us, so in a way he could relate to what I went through in my childhood. The way I left however, barely saying goodbye and not giving any news for so long, hit me like a ton of bricks. Caroline noticed something was wrong when she noticed I didn’t eat as much as I usually do.

She is always one to care for her friends, reminded me of my family back home, so when she asked me what was going on, I didn’t hesitate anymore. I started telling her about me growing up without knowing who my father was, the discussion with Billy at the house, and finally that conversation I had with mom when she told me about my father. I realized just then how much I was failing at the promise I gave to Billy that day, of taking good care of my family. She added one thing that she herself realized before: everything in life happens for a reason. We have something to learn for every obstacle life throws at us. That alone almost threw me over the edge.

Never before had I let my feelings show in front of someone, not even my mother before this day. I was on the verge of tears realizing how much I was side tracked by all the recent events. She took me in her arms and just stayed there with me until I calmed down. There was something though in the way she held me. Almost as if all this time she secretly had some feelings towards me that I was too absorbed in myself to notice. We just stayed there, sitting on my bed, her back against the wall me cradled against her for what seemed like only seconds to me. Neither of us noticed how close we were getting to each other so next thing I know, our lips met. Surprised by what just happened, we both sat back up and realized that what brought this on at that time was my vulnerable state of mind.

That night, I reflected long on what we talked about, and it’s when I decided to make my way back home. I made some arrangements with the college to finish my term papers from home and mail them in when done. I also called home to let them know that I was heading back, so here I am now. Embry Call, son of Tiffany Call and Joshua Uley, accepting my heritage and responsibility towards our tribe as protector.