Personal Growth: Growing Roots, #2

By Chelsea Falin

Willie has decided to dedicate herself towards her own 'Personal growth

Willie, despite a rough start, has become immersed in the culture she should have been born into. As she grows in her own knowledge of her ancestral roots, she also grows in who she is as a person. All things are now within her reach, and all she must do is put forth a little effort. With all of this in mind, Willie has decided to dedicate herself towards her own 'Personal Growth.'

"Our heritage might be bloody, but that's no reason not to be proud!"
-Spike 
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Chelsea Falin
• Release date: Mar 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9781393579830

Book preview

Introduction

Halito. Ant Chukoa.

There is a lot which goes into bringing a story to life, and so there are quite a few people I have to thank for helping me with the enormous process.

I would like to thank my sister, Brandi, and my sister-in-law, Cory, for always being there when I need to bat around some ideas, or when I need someone to read a paragraph or two I'm not sure about.

A big thank you also goes to my Aunt Pat, who has always supplied me with knowledge of our Native American culture and history when I needed it.

Last but not least, I would like to give a big thank you to all of my readers: without you, none of this is possible. Thank you for supporting me.

I'd like to dedicate this book to the memory of my dearly departed mother, who was always supportive of my endeavors.

I would also like to dedicate this book to my daughter, Vikki Beth, because everything I do is for her.

A quick note to all of the readers: If you have problems understanding any Choctaw words used in this book, please reference the glossary at the end of the book. Most Choctaw words are immediately defined, but I've included the glossary just in case. Thanks!

When you know who you are; when your mission is clear and you burn with the inner fire of unbreakable will; no cold can touch your heart; no deluge can dampen your purpose. You know that you are alive.

-Chief Seattle

Chapter 1

My hand rested lightly on Tecumseh’s furry head. I sat on the top porch step, leaning against the supporting post. I wanted to be alone for a while. Tecumseh didn’t think that applied to him, but I didn’t mind. He was one of the strong, silent types.

Uh, I’m so confused Tecumseh. The black and tan wolf hybrid looked at me with intelligent, stern-looking eyes. It was as though he were asking me what on earth I had to be confused over. Well, I can’t help it. It’s a confusing situation at a confusing point in my life, you know? Tecumseh nodded. I laughed. I was having a conversation with a dog. An intelligent dog, but a dog nonetheless. If someone could have heard me, they would have thought me crazy. Not that I cared what other people thought, but it still made a person wonder about themselves.

Back when I was in Florida, I hadn’t thought about what turning sixteen meant. I could get my driver’s permit. I could have gotten it earlier, but it hadn’t crossed my mind. I could get a job. I realized that while the amount of money I currently possessed would last a while, it wouldn’t last forever. I wasn't foolish, at least when it came to money and the problems associated with it (or lack of it). I had gone hungry before and had to buy the groceries, pay the bills when my mother wouldn't.

The social security checks started rolling in the week before, which would help pad out my savings. Aunt Janie and I had worked out a fair system. She would take the main amount of $200 off of each check. She put the other $50 away for Babette and gave me mine.

To go out find a job, I would need transportation. The house shared only two vehicles between everyone right now, so I would need my own. It was all connected, and everything began with my driver’s permit. I would have to get started on that first step down the road to adulthood and self-sufficiency.

Recently, I had also begun thinking about what would happen after graduation. I had time, but it kept passing me by so quickly. I had just about seven months until I would finish my Sophomore year. What would I do after my senior year?

Unlike a lot of other people, I didn’t entertain ideas about college. Possibly a trade school. I didn’t want to waste another four to eight years in school, though. I was barely making it through high school. I wasn't doing bad in school, just the opposite, but I wasn’t one of those people who enjoyed high school. It was a  burden I must bear to do anything productive with the rest of my life.

Beginning in eleventh grade, my school offered a program after school where high school students could attend a trade school for a small fee. The choices weren’t amazing, but maybe I would do it. You could go for early childhood development, electrical training, plumbing, phlebotomy, or get your CNA license. I didn’t want to do any of those longterm, but being licensed right out of high school would certainly be helpful. Besides, it was nearly free if I went ahead and took the opportunity now. It would cost around a hundred times more if I decided I wanted to do any of it after high school ended. There was also a dual-enrollment option for free, but I doubted I would take it.

Family life was no problem, which was strange considering that had always been the base of my problems in Florida. Aunt Janie and Uncle John were supportive, helpful, and showed every one of us how much they cared. They pushed us to better ourselves in every way possible and having that driving force made me want to be even more successful. I couldn't help thinking of all I could have achieved if my mother had been so supportive.

Jack was getting ready to graduate, and he already knew what he wanted to do. He was already enrolled for the next year’s classes at an automotive school around an hour and a half from the house. It would take two years normally, but there was an option to test out of classes you didn’t need. For that reason, Jack had begun studying up on things he didn’t know as much about. The hands-on stuff he had down pat, but safety regulations and the like were where he fell short. After he finished his basic training, he wanted to go on to an extra program that would teach him diesel engines. That program normally took another year to do, but a ‘fast track’ option, with additional schooling hours each week, could allow a person to graduate in either six or nine months.

Spike was going to the same school as Jack, and the two spoke of opening up a mechanic shop here, just outside town, after their schooling was done.

Jack and Deanna had been getting closer and closer as a couple, and they frequently went off together for ‘alone time’ when the opportunity presented itself. I was glad their relationship was going so well. What could be better than having my best female friend as a candidate for my future cousin-in-law?

Johnny was gearing up for his seventeenth birthday, which would occur three days before Thanksgiving. Even though he was only turning seventeen, he counted down the days until he would turn eighteen in typical teenage fashion.

Lee had just turned sixteen himself and was on the same wavelength as me. He was ready to get his driver’s permit and spoke to me about using the vocational programs offered by the high school. He was contemplating using the electrical course, so after high school, he could get a job with the local electrical company. Lee wasn’t one to jump into things, so he’d done his research. Starting wage at the local electrical company, with a basic vocational degree, would allow him to earn between ten and fifteen dollars an hour. It depended on which position he was chosen for, and how well he had done during his vocational training.

Cheyenne was already speaking excitedly about her next school year when she would finally leave primary and start middle school. Babette had one more year in elementary and was sad Cheyenne would not be going to the same school again next year. The girls had quickly become inseparable in a profound sort of way.

Little Dakota would begin Kindergarten the next year, and if you wanted a definition of excited, you need only look at her. Dakota could not, and would not, stop talking about how much fun she would have when she finally started school. It was endearing, and a little annoying.

As for the group... Deanna, while very involved in her relationship with Jack, was also serious about her future. It had taken no time for her to decide she was going to use the CNA certification program. Her reasoning was ‘there will always be a need for health care professionals.’

The CNA program, like the phlebotomy course, would only encompass her junior year instead of two years like the other programs. Deanna reasoned she could begin dual enrollment towards her LPN in her senior year. She wasn't going to stop there, however, and planned to get her RN as well. She reasoned her