 |
Jesse has inherited his Grandfather's ranch. Now he must fight his father to keep it while he must honor his Grandfather's last wish of seeking Coyote.
The White Wolf
Chapter 20 by Barbara Allan
Thank you Hope for your encouragement and help in editing.
Thanks to all who have commented or left Kudos. |
Image: Free Wallpaper from http://www.scenicreflections.com/
Chapter 20 Preparing for battle
Jesse woke as the plane that was carrying her began to descend. She had talked with the pilot about her adventures to this point, but she didn't think he believed much of her tale. He didn't have much Native American in his back ground. The most exposure he had to her world was through Hollywood movies that either showed the First Nations as a war like people always fighting the white man or a down trodden people to be pitied. Though there was some truth in the movies, they never really came close to the real People who called themselves the First Nations.
The People fought against the encroachment of those who would steal their lands. The Indians were usually out-numbered and and out-gunned, but they fought to keep their lands and their way of life. When they could no longer fight, their lives and spirits were taken from them by being herded on to reservations like cattle and given a small stipend on which to live. The government owned the lands and allowed them to live there, governed by corrupt men who would steal or take advantage of the People. Sadly, a person doesn't take much care of what he doesn't own. Only when a person has enough strength of spirit and will, does one break the dependency that the government forced on the People. This was her heritage. A heritage, that she would have been part of if the first Hartman hadn't left the reservation to find a better life for his family. The strength of spirit remained strong through the generations of Hartmans.
Maybe that is why her father was constantly angry. He believed he didn't have the same strength of spirit as her grandfather and he resented the fact that he wasn't equal to the task that he saw before him to take over the ranch. Maybe that was why he pushed her so hard when she was male to become an athlete to make up for his perceived short comings. She shook her head to clear these thoughts as she needed to concentrate on the task at hand.
The doctor and young girl gathered what small amount of luggage they brought with them from the pilot and started toward the terminal. The pilot would see to the plane and then go to the hotel to rest before they flew back. There was a middle aged woman in the terminal holding a sign reading “HARTMAN.” Jesse walked over to the woman and stated “I'm Jesse Hartman.”
The older lady looked a bit confused before she stated, “I was expecting a young man.”
“I wasn't expecting anyone to meet us, but we will explain when we get to the office. Right now, we could use some breakfast and a place to clean up. Afterward, I would like to visit a salon to get my hair tamed before we go to court.”
“That sounds good. Mr. Robertson won't be in his office until about 10:00. He was up late working on another case. He still thinks your case is a slam dunk, but one never knows, and he is prepared if you have the DNA results. Oh, By the way, my name is Sara Lancaster.”
The old Doc said, “I am having the DNA test sent to my phone. We will be able to print it out at Mr. Robertson's office.”
“Excuse me for being rude,” said Jesse. “This is Dr. Robert Henley. He attested to my grandfather's will and is here if we need him as a friend of the family.”
“Nice to meet you Dr. Henley. We had better be going if we are to get to the office on time and stop by a salon on the way. Luckily there is a salon in our business complex.”
They stopped at a Denny's on the way to the office for breakfast. While they ate, they made small talk about the weather and the local gossip since Jesse had gone off to college. Sara finally asked the question that had been on her mind since she picked them up that morning. “Jesse, the last time I saw you, you were a young man just out of college. You didn't show any signs that you were transgendered, and you haven't had time to go through the process to get gender reassignment surgery. But you make one of the prettiest girls I have ever seen. Something happened when you went out west?”
“Ms. Lancaster, this won't make any sense to you, but I met Coyote who is a minor deity to the First Nations. Being a trickster he changed me into a girl.”
“You are telling me that you met this magical animal, and he changed you into a girl?”
“Not just any animal, but Coyote, with a capital ‘C’.” Seeing the continued confusion on the woman's face the young girl just shrugged. “If it makes it easier for you to understand, I met a magical animal.”
They left the restaurant and arrived at the salon just as they were opening. Sara and Jesse walked in to see if the stylists would be able to fit the young girl in this morning. A lady of about thirty-five stepped up to the counter saying that her first appointment had called in, not being able to make it due to the flu and she would be happy to help out. As she led Jesse into the back to take her jacket and blouse off, the woman introduced herself, “My name is Francis, but most folks around here call me Franky.
“I'm Jesse. It is a pleasure to meet you ma'am.”
“You don't have to ‘ma'am’ me. Just call me Franky.”
She wrapped a cape around the young girl and led her to the back sinks to shampoo her hair. “When was the last time you've been in a salon,” asked the hairdresser.
“It has been awhile. I have spent the last few weeks on my grandfather's ranch. Before that, I was at college. I haven't had much money for a haircut.”
“This looks a little worse than a few years of neglect.”
“I did just come out of the wilderness where I went for my spirit quest. That may have caused some of the recent damage.”
“Spirit quest?” asked Franky. “I don't understand?”
“My grandfather was into Native American ways. When a young man reaches a certain age, he's required to go into the wilderness to seek his spirit animal. This is the animal that he'll be brother to. The animal will watch over him and give him strength in life and battle.”
They had moved from the back to the salon chair to begin styling Jesse's hair. “How to you want your hair to look?”
“I need to look like a successful business woman, but I don't want to look like I'm trying to be older than I am. Does that make sense?”
“Actually it does. Let’s keep it as long as possible. Maybe long bangs in the front with a French braid in the back.”
“That sounds good. If I need to, I can braid it on both sides for a Indian Princess look when I go back home”
The stylist started brushing and combing out the young girl's hair. “Where is home?”
“I live in Montana.” Short sentences can be best when someone is cutting one's hair. They keep the clippings out your mouth.
“That explains the western get up you were wearing when you came in. I guess that should explain the broken arm as well.”
“I broke it when I fell off my horse”
“You said that young men went on spirit quests. Why were you on one?”
“I'm an only child and an only grandchild, so you could say I'm the only boy my grandfather had.”
Talking to the young woman was fascinating to Franky, as she had never met some like Jesse. “Did you find your spirit animal?”
“Yes, I met the wolf and was welcomed into his pack.”
“Wow! Your father and grandfather must be proud of you after completing your quest.”
“My grandfather would have been, but he passed away a few months ago. My dad, not so much.”
“Why not?”
“I wasn't quite the boy my father wanted. He wanted a son that could play sports and grow up to be a MAN. I was always small and delicate.”
“Close your eyes where I can cut your bangs. Didn't your father like having a daughter?”
“When my father knew me, I wasn't a girl.”
“If you were ever a boy, I will get my hair cut in a spikey Mohawk.”
“You don't have to get a haircut. Do you know anything about Indian lore, especially Indians from the Southwest or Great Plains?”
“Not much. I know some lived in teepees and some in pueblos, that is about the extent of my knowledge.”
“Part of the religion of the People as they called themselves is a minor deity named Coyote. He can be quite a trickster. When I met Him on my spirit quest, He changed me from male to female.”
“Now your pulling my leg.”
“Some days I wish I was, but that is what happened to me. I was quite content being a young male.”
“Just about done with your hair. Do you want me to clean up your eyebrows?”
“Yes, please. Just don't make them too thin. I want to look professional, not like A Professional, though.”
Franky laughed at Jesse's joke. “Let me finish the eyebrows and we'll be done. Do you need me to help put your clothes back on.”
“Actually, if you could do my make-up for a courtroom look, I would appreciate it. I have court today at 2:00 and I brought my suit in with me. I will need help getting it on.”
Ouch, I didn't realize that was going to hurt so much.”
“Don't be such a baby. This will only take a few minutes” Jesse grimaced at the thought but steeled herself for Franky to finish.
“Now that's done, do you need your legs waxed?”
The young woman thought about the pain she just went through, and now, this woman wants to rip out the hair on her legs all at once instead of one at a time. “Can't I just shave them?”
“Where are you going to shave your legs between here and the lawyers office?” said the salon stylist giving Jesse a what are you thinking look.
“SIGH. Okay,” said the young wolf dejectedly. “Wax my legs.”
Jesse wanted to scream with the first yank on the waxing process, but she held it in. If other women could stand it, so could she. The broken arm didn't hurt as bad. Maybe a thousand bandaids being ripped off at once might compare. Then there was the second yank that brought a groan from her. She closed her eyes and squeezed the arm of the chair with her good hand. Finally the torture was over and the young girl slumped in the chair.
“You know this could have been worse,” said Franky
“I don't see how.” replied Jesse.
“I could have given you a bikini wax.”
“No, no, I'll talk, I'll talk.”
“That's right little girl you vill talk and you vill like it,” said the stylist in a fake German accent.
That set them off giggling. “Just a little more torture and then you will be ready. Lets go back to zee chair.”
The two women came out of the back giggling, while the other patrons just stared at the two. Franky started on Jesse's make-up. She explained what she was doing as she transformed the little girl into a woman of power. Jesse was amazed at the reflection of her face in the mirror. If she had walked in to this woman's office she would have been calling her ma'am without hesitation.
“If you don't win your court case today, it isn't because we weren't trying,” said Franky. “ Let’s get you into your clothes.”
The older woman helped the younger strip down to her lingerie replacing the clothes the younger woman was wearing with the ones that were bought the day before. “We won't put your arm in your jacket as it won't fit because of the cast, but we can pin it so it looks nice.”
Jesse asked, “Which shoes do you suggest?”
“Well the tall boots are cute and can give you an innocent but sexy look. The short boots are pure sex. The pumps, that you have selected, indicate power. Those are the ones I would wear. Do you have any hosiery?”
“Yes.”
“Then let’s get those on you and into the pumps.”
They finished getting the young woman dressed and walked over to the full length mirror. “Wow” was the only word that would come to Jesse's mind. She turned to the stylist and with a quaver in her voice she said, “Thank you, I'm just so....” She stopped because she was beginning to choke on her words.
“I know honey. You ARE beautiful. Be careful going out like that. You'll leave a trail of broken hearts behind you.”
Jesse left the salon and made her way to the attorney's office. Ms. Lancaster was sitting at the front desk typing a letter when the young shaman walked in. “May I help you?” asked the secretary just glancing up.
The young woman stifled a giggle. “I'm here to see Mr. Robertson.”
“Do you have an appointment?”
“I hope so. We are to be in court today at 2:00.”
The secretary finally looked up at the woman in front of her with a puzzled look on her face. “Jesse?”
“Yes, ma'am.”
“Wow! Franky did an outstanding job on you. I didn't recognize you. Have a seat. I will let Mr. Robertson know you're here. He's been talking with Dr. Henley for the past fifteen minutes.”
Mr. Robertson opened the door to his office to see a beautiful young woman sitting in his waiting area. He walked over to Ms. Lancaster “Where is Mr. Hartman?”
“There is no Mr. Hartman.”
“But you said he was here?”
“I said that Miss Hartman is here.”
Jesse stood up, “Mr. Robertson, I am Miss Jesse Hartman. We have much to talk about before we leave for court.”
To Be Continued...
Comments
Telling
I wonder if it's wise for her to be so free with her transformation, especially with people that have no need to know it. Sharing the truth can help, but can also cause problems.
Talking too much.
Thanks for reading and commenting. See the comment after Hope's input.
Barb Allan
She is
definitely talking too much to too many people about her transformation! This will eventually get her into trouble if the opposing forces learn of it as they will use anything they can against her!
The transformation she had done at the Salon sounds great though lol.
Vivien
Talks too much.
Thanks for reading and commenting. Keep reading
Barb Allan
Loose talk.
Talking about her 1st Nation transformation will not endear her to a judge immersed in good-ole yankee law that demands hard evidenc wherever possible. If her story goes public the opposition will have a field day proving insanity or some such charge.
All the medical DNA in the world won't get 'a magical animal' past a judge!
This is getting interesting now. Dying to see how Babs slips the net.
Thanks for the story.
XX
Bev.
Same as before
Thanks for reading and commenting.
Barb Allan
I have been enjoying this story... Before it gets posted
The comments of concern about Jesse telling too many people her spiritual story show that these readers have invested themselves into the story-line. I appreciate that Barb has written SO well that people are suspending their belief to such an extent. I would like to remind these people though that it is BARB'S story they have enjoyed so much - and that if Barb began taking advice about plot details it wouldn't BE the same story anymore.
PLEASE, when making comments do not try to suggest changes to the outcome of the story. If you have ideas about story-lines, try writing them out yourself.
with love,
Hope
with love,
Hope
Once in a while I bare my soul, more often my soles bear me.
I agree with Hope
Let the author express her world to us. It is, after all, hers. ^^
And I enjoy it how she writes it :)
Sephrena
Dear Hope,
I might humbly suggest that we are only trying to anticipate the issues and problems as they might affect our own reasonings and conclusions. I can't speak for the others but I for one, never suggest ideas or plots or 'endings' to other authors. I would offer that my comments above are only tantamout to my vocalising my own thoughts and musings.
I might add that I have occasionally taken on board a critics thoughts concerning my own stories which are there to be noted for any interested party both on BC and Fictionmania. I've never had any cross words with Babs and I am enjoying this tale.
XX
Bevs.
My Dearest Hope
Thank you Hope for standing with me on this matter. Jesse is one of those people that talk about tramatic events (good or bad)in her life. I am the same when my male ego doesn't get in the way. And as any tramatic event ages with time, so does the need to talk about it. It is amazing how many people will tell their life story to you if you just stop and listen. How many times has one stopped to be friendly with a complete stranger and they go into telling you their medical problems or matters that are weighing on their minds.
This is the age of Televisions and Computers, of tweets and "friending", but what people really want is the close interaction with other humans. We don't get together to visit, quilt, play cards, fish or any number of things that our grandparents did to entertain themselves. So when we find a friendly ear, we open up. Don't be too harsh with Jesse. She just has the need to be appreciated, accepted and loved. Maybe she is going about it wrong, but it is her life and I have to find away for her to come out on top.
Thank you everyone for your comments and for reading.
Barb Allan
I've Never Understood...
...why comments to the effect that a character is doing something dangerous that could have consequences later would lead anyone to complain that the commenter is trying to rewrite the story.
Practically anyone with any sympathy and concern for the character doesn't want to feel that she's sabotaging herself, and surely the author who has led us to that point shouldn't be upset that we're expressing that anxiety.
Eric
I am curious how our heroine Jesse will work this out
Remembering this is fiction and part supernatural our authoress need not follow conventional logic but that which fits the tale.
Being a mix of real world and spiritual realms I can for see several ways this could work.
Hey, IF Coyote showed up in court and did the transformation bit on the judge or one of dad's lawyers? Or even just compelled him to speak the truth ... the real truth and destroy his case?
Or the judge dad and his lawyers hoped was East Coast and conservative turns out to be of First Nation/Native blood and culture?
Or...?
Our heroine was a very honest young man. She is no less so as a woman.
Just maybe in her *universe* she will be believed.
If I recall , everything she is doing is as per Coyote and other spirits advice/wishes/orders?
Si what if dad has a posse of layers on his side, Jesse has a minor deity. I'd say magic slinging godling trumps shyster.
-- snicker --
Interesting mix of real world feel and the supernatural with a child's sense of trust and wonder behind it. At least I get that impression.
Oh Jessie is an adult but her core being is one open to accepting ideas contrary to her own. Thus she accepted the vision quest and Coyote but her dad utterly rejected it... or it rejected him?
Unless her telling people about Coyote gets reported back to the judge that is little risk. However, the fact that everyone out at the ranch thought she was always a female AND the DNA results the doctor is expecting would make dad look a fool if he insists he had a son but the medical evidence proves SHE is HIS daughter?
I agree IF this real world her claiming to have been transformed and spoken to with a deity would be rubber room time. BUT in this universe she DID get transformed and spoke with a deity, or was it several? So normal logic does not hold here.
John in Wauwatosa
John in Wauwatosa
Thanks John
Thanks for reading and commenting. The guys with the butterfly net missed me again. I escaped to write another day.
Barb Allan
Miss Jesse Hartman sounds far older than
she really is. But in her preparing for battle, she needs all the ammo she can get. I picture her as looking like either Abby Suto or Ziva David of NCIS. Both are beautiful ladies.
May Your Light Forever Shine
Hmmm wonder how her attorney
Hmmm wonder how her attorney will cope with Jesse's appearance. Technically the will does state him/her so it should be okay but I imagine it'll still cause confusion.
Looking forward to more
Big hugs
Lizzie :)
Bailey's Angel
The Godmother :p
early quit
you quit way too soon. i was so looking forward to more. just dont be too long on next chapter, please. keep up the good work.
robert
It's called a cliffhanger ^^
Barbara has learned that from Angharad :)
I suspect its there to keep us coming back for more :D
I'd come anyways though ^^
Sephrena
I wonder how her attourney
Will take what happened to Jessie if he will understand or not this is going to be hard to prove in court. Her dad could try & have her comitted to a mintle instution. I hope the judge knows about native America folklore of the southwest plains Indians otherwise this could be one hard case.
Love Samantha Renee Heart
Don't forget that Jesse
Don't forget that Jesse has the ability to change into her wolf form at will and sometimes unintentionally, like when she started to change during the car ride to Helena, before realizing what was happening. If she were to do that while in court it would be very difficult to deny the validity of her story. It would also prove that she’s not nuts, but it would also create other problems by drawing much unwanted attention to herself. It would also very likely create quite a ruckus in the courtroom as well as one heck of a news story it that should happen, especially if the court proceedings are being video taped. Of course if Coyote were to make an appearance, as some of the other commenters have speculated, that would also create quite a sensation as well. How will the plot actually play out in the courtroom? Only Barbara, her editor/proof reader, and her muse know the answer to that. We’ll all just have to wait for the next chapter or so to find out.
Hugs,
Tamara Jeanne