Tommy - The Trials and Tribulations of a Girl? - Chapter 49

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Tommy
The Trials and Tribulations of a Girl?

A Novel By Teddie S.

Copyright © 2018 Teddie S.
All Rights Reserved.

Chapter 49
Taos, Naainish, and a trip.

I had been bothered, again, by the power of a full Moon, and Naainish had helped me. I’d met the new chief of our clan, and I’m still not sure about him. We had also met with the two chiefs and others to discuss the possibility of setting up a scholarship. And the new clan chief, Chief Peshlakai, didn’t make any points with Amy or me.

Saturday we were up early. And did our usual hike up the cliff trail. And to our surprise, we saw wolves this morning. Then as we were eating breakfast with my aunt and uncle, my grandmother joined us, and the talk turned to last night.

Grandma said, “Chief Peshlakai was out of line with what he said about you, Kai.”

“I know grandma.”, I replied. “If looks could kill. The looks on Chief Kinlicheeny and Naainish’s faces would have.”

“I know that they weren’t happy with him. He doesn’t know you and to say those things was wrong.”

“Maybe he learned a little more about me last night.”

“We all learned more about you last night.”, my uncle said. “You are a force to be reckoned with. And I don’t think anyone here knows how to take you. You are confident, strong, and won’t be ignored.”

I just looked at my uncle.

“Your uncle is right, Kai.”, my aunt said. “You are just so confident when you speak your mind. There’s no hesitation. And your words flow with the truth.”

“Really?”, I asked.

“Yes, honey. Really.”, Amy said. “You were very confident in what you were saying, and that’s because you believed in what you were saying.”

I just sat there, then grandma said, “You have proven that you are a strong young woman who knows her mind and isn’t afraid to speak it.”

“Grandma.”, I said. “I’m a guy.”

“Are you? Right now I don’t think you are. I feel that you are a pretty, smart, and confident young woman.”

“Grandma!”

“Honey.”, Amy said. “You are.”

I just sat there and thought, ‘Maybe I am.’

Grandma then asked, “So what are you two doing today?”

“We figured that we’d go to Taos and look around some more, then stop and see Mr. Yazzie. I want to take the rest of the silver up there for him to look at. But I’m not sure how to keep it safe.”

“We have an old safe that we might be able to put in the trunk of your car.”, my uncle said.

I looked at my uncle, frowned, and said, “Uncle Paul.”

He just smiled.

“I have a lockable case with a shoulder strap.”, my aunt said. “That should work. But I wouldn’t leave it in the car.”

“Maybe.”, I said. “We’re only forty-five minutes from Taos. Aren’t we?”

“Yes.”

“Why don’t we run up to Taos, see Mr. Yazzie, bring the jewelry back here, then go back to Taos for the rest of the day.”

“That’s a lot of driving.”, my uncle said.

“It’s better than driving to Albuquerque and back. And I’d feel better about the jewelry.”

My aunt gave us the lockable case, and Amy and I went back to our room and changed into long skirts, fancy blouses, and moccasins. We went light with the jewelry and only wore the Concho belts and earrings.

We put all of our silver jewelry in the lockable case and drove to Taos and Mr. Yazzie’s shop. As we walked in, another older gentleman was talking with him. Mr. Yazzie looked at me, I smiled, and said in Navajo, “Hello Mr. Yazzie. Remember us?”

He looked at us for a few seconds, then smiled, and said, “Who could forget you two. Kai. Ajie. You’ve come back to see me.”

“We said we would.”

“It’s good to see you. This is my friend Klah Lapahie. He’s also a silversmith. Klah, this is Kai Nez and her friend Ajie.”

“Is she the one that we’ve talked about and is related to Kilchii Nez?”, Klah Lapahie asked.

“Yes, sir.”, I replied. “He’s my great-great-grandfather.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“And to meet you.”

Mr. Yazzie looked at the Concho belt I was wearing, and asked, “Is that Kilchii’s belt?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Could Klah see it?”

As I took off the belt and handed it to Mr. Lapahie, I said, “Of course.”

He looked it over, and said to Mr. Yazzie, “Sike, you were right, this is exquisite. The work is amazing, and the turquoise is fantastic. The turquoise has been treated with wax. And on a quick look, I’d rate it as a double A if not a triple A.”

“Is that good?”, I asked.

“Yes. There is very little turquoise that can be rated this high.”

“What does ‘waxed’ mean?”, Ajie asked.

“It’s a way to protect the stone. And it’s called enhancement. The only thing better than waxing would be a natural stone, but a natural stone could be easily damaged. I’d rate this turquoise’s enhancement as a nineteen out of twenty.”

“Kai.”, Mr. Yazzie said. “I should have told you Klah knows his turquoise better than anyone else around here.”

“I can tell.” Then as I set the lockable case on the counter and unlocked it, I said, “You might like to look at these too.”

As I took each piece out of the case and carefully unwrapped it, the two men looked carefully at each one When all the pieces were on the counter, Mr. Yazzie said, “You brought all of that with you?”

“Yes. I thought that you’d like to see it.”

“Like to see it! It's wonderful seeing it.”

“We did check it all after we saw you last year and it’s all Kilchii’s work.”

The two men took a long time looking carefully at each piece of the silver jewelry, and Amy and I took in everything that they were saying about it.

When the men were done looking at the jewelry, Mr. Lapahie said that it was some of the nicest work that he’s seen. And Mr. Yazzie was worried that we were going to walk around Taos with all of it or lock in our car. I told him that we were going to take it back to the resort and then come back to Taos. He felt a lot better.

Mr. Lapahie told us that we had a very nice selection of museum quality pieces and that the turquoise was some of the nicest that he’s seen.

I then asked about getting the pieces appraised for insurance reasons. Mr. Lapahie took out his wallet, removed a business card from it, and hand it to me. Then he said, “Mr. Tsinajinnie is a licensed appraiser who specializes in native art and jewelry. He’s here in Taos and has been for many years. I work with him when it involves turquoise. His fee will be reasonable. But, he’s out of town right now.

“When he gets back I’ll talk to him about what you have, and tell him that I’ve had a good look at them. And what I think about them.

“I’d give him a call later this week. He should be back in town on Wednesday.”

I looked at Mr. Yazzie, and he said, “Mr. Tsinajinnie is very fair and will give you an honest appraisal.”

“Thank you, Mr. Lapahie.”, I said. “We’re going to be gone for part of the week, and I'll call him when we get back.”

We talked as we repacked the case. Then we said so long to Mr. Yazzie and Mr. Lapahie. And Mr. Lapahie told us that he was happy that he was here when we came in. I also told Mr. Yazzie that we’d try to stop in again before we go back home.

We drove back to the resort and had lunch with my aunt and uncle. While we were eating, we told them what we’d learned while we were seeing Mr. Yazzie in Taos. I showed Mr. Tsinajinnie’s business card to them, and my uncle commented that the guy was licensed, bonded, and insured. But my uncle wanted to check the guy out, so I left the business card with him.

My aunt said that she might go with us to have her silver appraised.

After lunch, Amy and I drove back to Taos. We had a lot of fun wandering the shops and seeing some of the museums. We ate dinner in Taos at a very nice restaurant and spent a little while checking out the Taos nightlife.

When we were back at the resort, my aunt and uncle were still up. So we sat with them on the patio, looking at all the stars, and talked with them. One thing they asked about was what we wanted to see while we were there. We told them that we were open to suggestions, but that we’d like to see the Grand Canyon, and maybe Zion and Bryce National Parks. My uncle told us that it was a seven or eight-hour drive to the Grand Canyon from the resort and that the other parks were north of there about four to five hours from the Grand Canyon. Amy said, “Honey, that’s a lot of driving.”

“I know.”, I replied. “Maybe we could go over to the Grand Canyon, spend a few days, and come back past the Four Corners.”

“That could work.”, my uncle said. “Just remember that the Four Corners is down a dirt road and the only thing there is a short concrete marker with some stones marking the boundaries of the four states.”

“I just think it would be cool to stand in four states at the same time.”

“I would get your reservations at the Grand Canyon as soon as you can, it’s tourist season, and it may be hard to get one.”

We found the phone number of the park hotels in a tour book, called the park, and got lucky. Someone had just called and canceled their reservations, and we got a reservation for a cabin with a fireplace at the Bright Angel Lodge for three nights.

I asked, “Will we need a fireplace in August?”

My uncle said, “Just like here, when the Sun sets, it cools off. I think that you’ll find that night time temperature will drop into the lower fifties.”

On Sunday I was meeting with Naainish. And since we were leaving for the Grand Canyon right after he and I finished, he was going to meet the Tom me. Well the native Tom me. So, when I dressed, it was blue jeans, one of my new ribbon shirts, a pair of sneakers, and my hair was done in a braided ponytail. I replaced the studs in my ears with the small silver diamond shaped earrings with the turquoises inlays.

We had an early breakfast with my aunt and uncle. My aunt really loved my ribbon shirt and earrings, and said, “That is really a good look for you Tom.”

Then my aunt got up from the table, and said, “I’ll be right back.”

When she came back, she handed me something, and said, “I’m loaning this to you.”

I looked at what she’d given me, and it was a silver arrow shaped pendant on a silver chain with turquoise inlays. The arrow was about an inch and a half long. And like I did with every piece of silver that I look at, I turned it over looking for the maker’s mark. As I looked at it, my aunt said, “Yes. It’s grandfather’s work. I found it a few months ago in somethings we have stored.”

“I can’t take this.”, I said. “I’d be afraid of losing it.”

“Honey, I’m not worried. I know that you’ll take care of it.”

With that, she took it back from me, walked behind me, placed it over my head pulling my braid through it. Amy looked, and said, “That looks sharp.”

“Thanks, Aunt Ruth.”, I said. “I’ll take care of it.”

I was trusting Amy to pack while I met with Naainish. Hmm. Should I trust her? Yeah. She wouldn’t pull anything. Would she?

A few minutes before seven I was pulling up in front of the remote hogan. Naainish’s pickup truck was parked outside. I parked, got out of the car, and walked up to the entrance to the hogan. I could hear Naainish chanting. I waited. He stopped chanting, and said, “Kai, come join me.”

As I opened the flap, I smiled to myself and walked in.

“Kai!”, Naainish said. “You’re not Kai. I was expecting Kai.”

“Naainish.”, I said. “Remember I have two spirits. You’ve only met my woman’s spirit. This is my man’s spirit, Tom.”

“I’m surprised. I didn’t think that I’d ever meet Tom. But now I feel your man spirit, and it’s interesting.”

“Interesting?”

“Yes. Your man spirit is strong, but not as strong as your woman spirit. And it never will be. I can also see the intertwining of the two spirits. As I’ve always suspected, they weren’t fully separate. You are too complicated for that to be.”

“Is that bad?”

“No. It’s what helps make you special. But it may also be what gives you problems with strong spirits.”

“I see.”

“Before we start, you have questions for me.”

“I do?”

“Yes. One has something to do with someone very close to you, but not Ajie. The other is something that you thought was dead.”

I knew what he was talking about, so I said, “Naainish, my father almost died of a brain aneurysm last year. I sensed that something was wrong with him and Ajie picked up on what he said when I asked him about it. How did I know that he was ill?”

“The spirits work in strange ways.”, Naainish said. “You are close to your father, as in a blood relative, and your spirits saw something, and you asked. And Ajie, being who she is, knew what his answers meant.”

“So I can sense problems with the people who are close to me, as in a blood relative. What about Ajie?”

“You and Ajie share your hearts through your spirits. This makes you closer to her than to anyone else. You will know when she has a problem. You will even see things with her relatives.”

I thought for a minute. Then asked, “How will I know what to ask?”

“Your spirits will tell you.”

I just nodded yes. Then I said, “And, this explains something else.”

“And that is?”

“I knew that my cousin Mary was pregnant and carrying twins. A boy and a girl.”

“Were you correct?”

“Yes. On both counts.”

“If your male spirit had been the strongest, you probably wouldn’t have known, or you might have felt that something was different with her. And not knowing what it was.”

“And this was because she is a blood relative.”

“Yes.

“Now, tell me about the piece of the cliff tree. You buried it under a full Moon. Didn’t you?”

“Yes.” I was past the point of asking Naainish how he knew things. I just took it for granted that he did.

“The spirit of the tree was still alive in that small branch. And it needed to be buried to live again. And it needed to be done under a full Moon. And your spirits knew that it needed to be done. So you and Ajie did what was necessary. And it took your two spirits and Ajie’s spirit to help it.”

“And when it sprouted, it called us to witness it?”, I said.

“Yes.”

“One last thing before we start talking about my spirits. Chief Peshlakai was way out of bounds with what he said to me on Friday night.”

“Yes, he was. Chief Kinlicheeny and I talked with him. He had talked with Chief Todachine at length about some things including you. And maybe Chief Todachine said too much. But Chief Peshlakai either didn’t pay attention or didn’t believe what he was told until Friday.

“On Friday you made yourself known to him, and all of us, and he was shocked as to how strong you are. He’s never dealt with such a strong woman as you were that night. He’s learned that a Nádleeh with a strong woman’s spirit can be powerful.

“Both Chief Kinlicheeny and I feel that he can be a strong ally if need be.”

I thought for a minute, then said, “We’ll see.”

“That’s all I ask.”

We spent the rest of the two hours with him teaching me more about spirits, how they can interact, how I can learn to control them. And the effect that a full Moon can sometimes have. We decided to get together again on the following Sunday.

As I was getting ready to leave, Naainish said, “One last thing, Tom. Your friend stopped in to see me.”

“My friend?”, I asked.

“Dr. Whitmeyer.”

“Not a friend.” And I went on to tell Naainish, again, the story of the seminar.

“I remember you telling me about him. He spent two days with me. When he left, I think he had a much better understanding of the Navajo’s belief in the Nádleeh and who they are.

“We also talked a little bit about you. And I think you did the same thing to him that you did to Chief Peshlakai. He found out that you, Kai, are a powerful woman.”

“He met Tammy. Kai doesn’t like to be around when I’m back home.”

“Tammy is as strong as Kai. And I was right when I told you that Kai would take a backseat to Tammy when you were home.”

“Yes, you were. And I’m still not sure about Dr. Whitmeyer. We’ll see if he writes the paper and what it says.”

“I think it will be good.”

I said so long to Naainish.

I drove back to my aunt and uncle’s house. After getting a map, directions, full canteens, and hiking staffs from my uncle, we put those things and our suitcases in the car, stopped at the service building to top off the gas tank, pick up an empty five-gallon gas can, and then we headed for the Grand Canyon.

The first part of the drive was old territory, we drove from the resort to Albuquerque and then headed west. We stopped in Gallup for a late lunch and to fill up the car. We had decided to take an alternate route that my uncle had mentioned. It took us through the Navajo Nation and to Tuba City.

While we drove this leg of the trip, I told Amy everything that Naainish and I had discussed. She was very interested in me seeing things with the family and how we’d brought the dead tree back to life. She was also interested in what Naainish had taught me.

When I told Amy about Naainish meeting with Dr. Whitmeyer, and what Naainish had to say about the doctor, she said, “I just hope that someone in the know gets to proofread his paper before he publishes it.”

“I’ll ask Naainish if Dr. Whitmeyer said anything about that when I see him.”

From Tuba City, it was only an hour until we entered the Grand Canyon National Park. Then we found Bright Angel Lodge, checked in, and took all of our things to our cabin which was right on the canyon rim, and it did have a fireplace.

Amy changed into a fancy long skirt, a fancy blouse, and added the beaded choker. Then we walked over to Bright Angle for dinner. After a nice dinner, we took a walk along the rim looking down into the mile-deep canyon. There were a lot of other people doing the same thing.

As my uncle had said, as soon as the Sun had set it started to cool off. We went back to our cabin, and I soon had a nice fire burning in the fireplace which warmed up the room very quickly. I hadn’t noticed her doing it, but Amy had undressed and was lying on the bed naked. I looked at her, smiled, and in a sexy way she said, “I’m still cold. Come warm me up.”

She didn’t have to ask twice. I quickly undressed and joined her. There was no couch in the room, so we had to cuddle on the bed, and I’ll let you figure out what happened that night.

Monday morning we were up early, and it was a little cool in the cabin. I got up, quickly dressed, and got a fire going in the fireplace. It didn't take long for the fire to warm up the room. After it warmed up, I took a quick shower. When I came out of the shower, Amy was dressed and wanted to go for a walk. Luckily we’d brought light jackets with us, so we were back on the Rim Trail, but going the other way. And of course, we were on the trail for the Sunrise.


After breakfast, we put on our hiking clothes, shorts, light shirts, wool socks, and hiking boots. We added our cowboy hats, filled our canteens, grabbed our hiking staffs, and headed out the door. We headed over to the Bright Angel Trail trail-head which was almost right outside our door. This nine-mile trail leads down to the Colorado River nearly one mile below the canyon rim. Are we hiking the nine miles down and the nine miles back up? No way. A hike down to the Colorado River and back is not a one day hike. But we hiked down the trail to the Two Mile Switchback, and back up to the rim. We stopped at the Mile-and-a-half Resthouse to refill our canteens. And then we were passed by a group of mules taking people to the bottom.

Once we were back to the rim, we treated ourselves to some ice cream. Two chocolates, please.

After lunch, we hiked some more of the Rim Trail to the west and did a couple of the trails that led off the Rim Trail out to overlook points. After dinner, we attended the evening program at the amphitheater. And that night we slept very soundly.

Tuesday morning after an early breakfast Amy and I took the drive to Zion National Park and some more hiking. This is a beautiful park and has some fantastic rock formations. When we were back at the Grand Canyon, we had a late dinner. Since we were leaving early tomorrow morning and heading back to the resort, we packed everything that night except for what we were going to wear tomorrow.

I was in the bathroom as Amy packed, and when I came out, I saw two long skirts and two fancy blouses laid on the bed. I looked at Amy and said, “I knew you’d do something like this.”

She had a cute, sly smile on her face, as she said, “You did.”

“Yeah. So you want Kai to drive back.”

“Uh huh. I think it would be cute to have a picture of her sitting on the Four Corners marker.”

“That so.”

“Uh huh.”

“You’re bad.”

“Uh huh.”

We didn’t stay up late Tuesday night. I had a nice fire going in the fireplace that kept us nice and warm. Also cuddling with Amy is a wonderful way to stay warm.

On Wednesday morning we were up early and got dressed. Long skirts and fancy blouses, and Amy redid my braid and used the butterfly barrette on it. I left in the small earrings that I’d worn yesterday as Tom. After breakfast, we checked out, loaded the car, and headed out. We made a quick stop at a small store and bought bottled water and something to eat. We didn’t know if we’d find a place to eat lunch on the way home or not. At Tuba City, we stopped and filled the car with gas, and put four gallons of gas in the five-gallon gas can. My uncle said that we probably wouldn’t need the extra gas, but in the desert, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

We left Tuba City heading to the Four Corners area. It was supposed to be a two-and-a-half hour drive, and that’s just about what it took. And my uncle was right about the access road being a dirt road. But he left out the rough part because that road was a bumpy dirt road. As we got to the outer gate of the monument area, there was a sign and a box. It appears that this is a fee area, so we dropped ten dollars in the box. Five dollars each. I wonder how they knew if you paid or not?


We drove up to where the monument was, and there were three other cars there. We got out and joined eight other people. Now, here I am dressed like a native girl, guess who got asked all the questions? Which I didn’t have answers for, and of course, I was asked if they could take my picture. I said okay, but only a few. I ended up standing with people next to the three-foot-high monument, sitting on the monument, or standing by myself at the monument. I didn’t mind having my picture taken. Why would I. We did end up spending more time here then we wanted to.

Before Amy and I left the Four Corners Area we were sure that we had pictures of us, both together and alone at the monument. And that was thanks to one of the women that was there who took pictures for us using our camera.

With the stop at Four Corners, it took us a little over eight and a half hours to make the drive from the Grand Canyon to the resort. We got there just in time for dinner, and as we ate, we told my aunt and uncle about everything that we’d done. As we were helping my aunt clean up, she asked, “Would you kids mind if I have my jewelry appraised when you do yours?”

“Of course not, Aunt Ruth.”, I said.

We finished cleaning up the kitchen, washed out dirty clothes, and then joined my aunt and uncle on the patio. My uncle had a small fire burning in the fire pit. We sat with my aunt and uncle, talked, and just watched the stars. I pointed out various constellations, and Amy saw a shooting star and made a wish. And we finally went to bed after a long day.

~o~O~o~

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Comments

Wow the memories

This chapter brought back alot of childhood memories as I traveled to most of the places in this chapter. thank you

Thanks, Jessica,

Thanks, Jessica,

I was out there three times in the late 1980s and early 1990s. And I loved the area,

Teddie

Amy saw...

"Amy saw a shooting star and made a wish."

Just a throwaway line, or something more significant? I wonder.

Love the story, by the way.

Thanks, Sarah.

Thanks, Sarah.

All my wishes on a star never worked. :-(

Teddie

Four corners

Neat. I looked it up and found that it is managed by the Navajo Nation Parks and Recreation Department, and upgraded after our two visited it.

Had Ferde Grofe's Grand Canyon Suite running through my mind when I read this part of the story.

Thanks for the experience.

Pentatonic

Just because

someone could be a friend doesn't mean they will be. I was thinking of the new clan chief.

It's possible.

It's possible.

Beautiful places to visit

gillian1968's picture

I’ve visited the Grand Canyon twice, but never got up to Zion.

I’ve never actually been to Four Corners either, but did visit Mesa Verde which is not far but would be hard to fit into a long day drive like this.

Another favorite place is Bandelier. It’s near Los Alamos, not far at all from Santa Fe. You feel a real connection to the land and the people who used to live in villages in the valley.

And the Stellar’s Jays and Abert squirrels will compete to steal food off your picnic table!

Gillian Cairns

Bryce is also very nice. And

Bryce is also very nice. And I actually liked Bryce and Zion better than I did the Grand Canyon. We were there in '88. the year Yellowstone burned (saw that too), and it was HOT and where we stayed had no AC, Never have made it to Bandelier, sounds nice.
I remember the Stellar's Jays.

Teddie

Two question marks?

Tommy, Kia still have questions about the professor and the new chief to be resolved. You did not say Amy wishing on the star would be different from your prior experiences.

Continue to love the story ^_^ Jessie C

Jessica E. Connors

Jessica Connors

Two questions

Jamie Lee's picture

Dr. Whitmeyer and the new Clan Chief are both questionable people to Kia/Tammy/Tom. They seem friendly to Kia/Tammy but she feels something different with both people. Dr. Whitmeyer said he was wrong in his initial assessment of two spirit people. But what is he really after from his talk with Naainish? Is he trying to understand his own two spirit or two spirits in general?

A visit to the Grand Canyon is the only way to understand the magnitude of the area. No picture or photo can ever reveal what the eyes see when viewing the Canyon.

Others have feelings too.