Chapter 13: Young Men Swimming
Behind the Barn
9:12 A.M.
I followed Francisco outside. We walked east in the morning heat, side by side through a large pasture, our shoulders bumping together once in a while as we walked. After a while, I asked, “How long have you and Joel been lovers?”
“A year,” he replied, looking a little startled at my question. “I fell for his dark skin and his heritage.”
“Cherokee, right?”
“Yes, sir. His great-grandfather was White Cloud, one of the last Cherokee leaders before statehood.”
“That was 1907, right?” I’d been Googling facts about Oklahoma, as well as about Cord Darringer.
“Exactly. This land has a lot of history. Some of it is positive. Most of it would make you cry, knowing what happened to the American Indians that were ‘removed’ here and strip
