Saturday, we did the tourist thing and went to Taos to look around. Charlie and Jackie want to see the Kit Carson Home and Museum, so we waited outside while they went in. Then Ajie and I had a conversation with some people on how Kit Carson interacted with the Navajo people, which wasn’t good.

Things got better when we met with Quah Ah, the medicine woman from the Taos Pueblo, for lunch. Then when we were back at the resort we too a hike and spent some time in the thermal pools. A bonfire and meditation after a beautiful Sunset made a nice finish to the day.

Sunday, on the way home, we stopped to see the Eagles. And we were amazed to watch one of the Eaglets exercising his wings. It won’t be long until all three of them leave the nest. But, the Fish and Wildlife people want to see them again.

Monday started normally. Classes and such. Then we had our meeting with Mr. Schoonover. Mr. Schoonover is the boy that told the university's newspaper about me being a boy dressed as a girl. We had a nice talk and found that he may have been duped into doing it by someone from Student Housing. Possibly, Mr. McLaughlin. But we’ll let the FBI figure that out.

While we were talking with Mr. Schoonover, I had sensed something. I wasn’t sure what it was, but I knew that he felt confused when we talked about the possibility of me being a boy and dressing as a girl, and when he’d talked about his father, the minister, and homosexuality. I’d asked Mr. Schoonover if he and I could meet in private.

As Dr. Joe and I walked into the outer office of the Engineering College, I was pleasantly surprised to find Mr. Schoonover sitting there waiting for me. I looked at him and said, “Are you ready, Mr. Schoonover?”

“I guess.”, Mr. Schoonover said.

“It’ll be alright. Why don’t you come with me.”

Mr. Schoonover got up, and he and I walked to the office. When we got there, I unlocked the door, we walked in, and I canceled the alarm. I turned the lights on, and said, “Mr. Schoonover, why don’t we sit at the work table.”

We walked over to the work table and sat across from each other. The first thing I said was, “Mr. Schoonover, first off, you don’t have to stay here unless you want to.”

“I know, Miss Nez.”, Mr. Schoonover said. “You said that you just wanted to talk. But what do you want to talk about?

“Let me tell you something first. In the native American culture, we believe in spirits. Everything has a spirit — you, me, trees, and so on. In the native culture, some people have two spirits, a male spirit, and a female spirit. These people are special to their people and are not well understood by outsiders.

“And it’s said that these two spirit people see things through the eyes of a man and the eyes of a woman at the same time.

“I am one of these two spirit people.

“Okay, so far?”

“Yes, I guess.”, Mr. Schoonover said. “But why are you telling me this?”

“I can also feel things about people. And when we were talking earlier, I felt that something was bothering you. These feelings were stronger when we were talking about me dressing as a girl and homosexuality.

“It was like you became nervous that someone would find out something about you.”

“I’m not homosexual, Miss Nez.”

“I know you’re not. But I think that there was something more when we talked about me dressing like a girl.

“It was like you were afraid that someone would find out something about you.

“Am I right?”

Mr. Schoonover and I had an excellent talk over the next forty-five minutes or so. At one point, he almost walked out but didn’t. There were tears. But, in the end, we had a good talk. 

The ringing of the telephone interrupted us. I answered it and said, “Hello, this is Miss Nez.” … “Hi, Sara.” … “Okay, thank you. We’ll be right there. Bye.”

Then I said, “Mr. Schoonover, the sketch artist is here. We need to go back to the Dean’s office. And I will find out if there is someone that you can talk to. And I’ll let you know.”

A few minutes later, we were walking back into the Dean’s office. The Dean, Dr. Joe, Agent Adams, and a woman were there. Agent Adams introduced us to the sketch artist, and Mr. Schoonover went with her, and as he walked away, he said, “Miss Nez, thank you again.”

“You’re very welcome.”, I replied.

Mr. Schoonover and the woman went back to a small conference room. 

I was standing there with Dean Rutherford, Dr. Joe, and Agent Adams. And the Dean asked, “Well, Miss Nez, did you learn anything more.”

“Yes.”, I replied. “But it’s covered by doctor-patient confidentially.”

“You’re not a doctor!”

“Dr. Oshie seems to think I am.”

“Miss Nez. You aren’t going to tell us. Are you?”

“No sir.”, I replied. “That conversation was between him and me.

“But I’ll tell you this. This guy in Student Housing was praying on Mr. Schoonover. The guy read his feelings on people who are what Mr. Schoonover’s upbringing taught him were not normal. Like homosexuals and crossdressers.

“The guy misread Mr. Schoonover. But, Mr. Schoonover reacted as he did because of the job offer. He needed the money.”

“Miss Nez.”, Agent Adams said. “If I remember correctly, aren’t you related to Gaagii Haskie in some way?”

“He’s my uncle. Why?”

“Does he know anything about this?”

I smiled and replied, “No. And he doesn’t need to.”

“Good.”

Dr. Joe and I said so long to the Dean and Agent Adams, and then as we walked back towards the office, Dr. Joe asked, “Your Uncle Gaagii. What’s he got to do with this?”

“Nothing I hope.”, I replied.

“Oh. Why?”

“Remember he was the Chief of the Navajo Nation Police Department. And Agent Adams knows him.”

“Yeah.”

“My Uncle Gaagii knows people that will talk to people. If you know what I mean. And you don’t want to meet those people.”

“Oh! So are you going to tell me about your talk with Mr. Schoonover?”

“Dr. Joe.”, I said. “No. I can’t. That talk was between him and me.”

“Well, I guess then we can get back to work on the project?”

I just said, “Tomorrow.”

“Why not today?”

“I need a drink.”

“I’ll go with you.”

“Who’s going to dive you home?”

“I’ll drive myself home.”

“Not after you’ve had a drink.”

“You’re really hard on that subject. Aren’t you?”

“The guy that hit the car that I was riding in, back when I was twelve, was drunk.”

“I see. So, who is going to drive you home.”

“I’ll be there already. I want one of Amy’s sangrias.”

“Smart. But I’d better go home, Mary’s past due.”

“That’s right. Is there anyone with her?”

“Yes, her mother flew in last week and is staying until Mary is up to taking care of the baby.”

“That’s good. Let me know what’s going on.”

“I will. Hopefully, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“What about your classes?”

“Don’t worry about it. The Dean has everything.”

“But, you’ve covered for me.”

“I know, but you need to concentrate on the project and your classes.”

“Well, good luck, daddy.”

Dr. Joe and I retrieved our briefcases from the office and headed to our respective homes. When I got home, Amy met me with a kiss and followed me to our bedroom. As I was changing, I filled her in on the talk that the Dean, Dr. Joe, Agent Adams, and I had with Mr. Schoonover.

When I finished, Amy said, “So you think it’s the guy from Student Housing?”

“I do. I think that he thought that he’d found someone to use to try and get back at me for stepping on his toes over the married student's housing and the smoke detectors.”

“There’s more, isn’t there?”

“Yes. Is there any sangria?”

“No, but I can make a batch.”

“Please. I’ll finish changing, and then I’ll meet you in the courtyard.”

I did finish changing, and then I went to the courtyard, laid a fire, and lit it. Then I sat on the couch, looking at the fire. A short time later, Amy joined me. She was carrying a pitcher and two glasses. She handed me the glasses and filled them from the pitcher. After setting the pitcher on the table, she sat next to me, took the other glass, and said, “So tell.”

I took a big drink of the sangria, and said, “Mr. Schoonover and I had a private talk after the meeting.”

“Why?”

“As I said, during our meeting with him, I felt something. I felt that he was confused, especially when we talked about my supposedly dressing as a girl. And I felt that he needed someone to talk to.”

“You?”

“I guess.”

“Go on.”

“To start with, I told him about the two spirit people within the Native American culture. And I did tell him that I was one of them.

“And, there were a lot of tears when we talked about him being a possible crossdresser and how his parents, because of their strong religious beliefs, would feel if they found out about him. And it scares him to death. He really spilled his heart to me.

“He was somewhat shocked when I told him that I could feel a little femininity in his spirit.”

“You could feel his spirit?”

“It surprised me that I could. Maybe my spirits knew that he needed help.”

When I finished telling Amy everything, she asked, “So you feel that he’s a crossdresser?”

“Yes.”, I replied. “And he’s trying to suppress his feelings.”

“And when he was talking to the guy from Student Housing, the guy picked up on what he thought was his feeling about people who are different.”

“Like homosexuals and crossdressers?”

“Yes. And what he picked up was wrong. And the poor kid fell for the crap he was fed.”

“So, what’s going to happen.”

“He was with an FBI sketch artist when I left the Dean’s office, and we’ll see what they do.”

“So, the FBI is in on this.”

“Only because Los Alamos got wind of it and because of the project that we’re working on.”

“So, what’s going to happen to the boy?”, Amy asked.

“Hopefully, nothing. He’s a good student. I also feel that he doesn’t have many friends. And I need to talk to Vickie.”

“Vickie. Why?”

“I told Mr. Schoonover that I’d try to find someone for him to talk to. And I figure that Vickie might know someone.”

“She might. Call her.”

“I will after dinner. I just want to sit here with you and watch the fire.”

Amy refilled our glasses, and we sat quietly, cuddled together, and looking at the fire.

Amy surprised me with salmon for dinner. And that was good. Then we sat down in the big room, and I called Vickie. When she answered, I said, “Hi, Vickie. It’s Kai. Do you have a minute.” … “Good. I was wondering if you could help me find someone that could help one of my students.” … “Well, he needs to speak with someone on the quiet about his problem.” … “Well, between you and me, he’s a crossdresser. So, it would have to be someone that understands that.” … “I see. You think that she would be a good one.” … “Okay, I’ll wait to hear from you.” … “Thanks, Vickie. I appreciate it. “Hágoónee', Sialea-lea. - (See you later, little bluebird.)” … “Oh, it’s my name for you, and it means little bluebird.” … “It’s just something that came to me.” … “Hágoónee', Sialea-lea.”

Amy had been listening, and she said, “Where did Sialea-lea come from?”

“It just came to me.”, I replied.

“Cute.”

“I thought so.”

“So did she know of someone?”

“She thinks that Dr. Caroline Thomas might be good.”

“I’ve never heard of her.”

“Can’t know everyone. Did you get the mail?”

“No.”

“As I got up, I said, “I’ll get it.”

I walked out of the house and down the driveway to the street. I grabbed the mail and newspapers and headed back to the house. As I walked back across the front courtyard, I saw a package on the front porch. I picked it up and looked at it. It was addressed to Amy and me from my mother.

I walked back into the house and set everything on the breakfast counter in the kitchen. Amy saw the box and said, “What’s that?”

“A box.”, I replied.

“I can see that. Brat.”

I smiled and said, “It’s from my mother. It’s probably our caps and gowns.”

“I guess we’re going to graduation.”

“Looks that way.”

I opened the box, and it was our caps and gowns. The caps and gowns that we wore when we graduated from Ohio State. We took them and hung them up in our room.

Then we got the two picture framws that had out tassels in them, opened them, and removed the tassels. We also got our honor cords. And put everything in one place for Sunday.

Then we went and sat out in the back courtyard. We’d been sitting there for about half an hour when the phone rang. Amy jumped up and ran to answer the phone, a few minutes later, she came back out with a big smile on her face, and said, “Go talk to daddy Joe.”

“Huh?”, I said.

“Go talk to daddy Joe. Mary had the baby.”

I ran into the house, picked up the telephone receiver, and said, “Congratulations, Dr. Joe.”

“Thanks, Kai.”, I heard Dr. Joe say.

“So, how’s Mary doing?”

We talked for a few minutes, then Dr. Joe had to go.

I walked back out to the courtyard. And Amy said, “You’re smiling like a Cheshire cat.”

“I know.”, I said. “I’m just so happy for them.”

“Me too. Are we going to do anything for the baby?”

“Besides the christening blanket?”

“Yeah. Think we should?”

“They are good friends.”

“Maybe start a college trust fund for him?”

“I think that would be nice.”

That night the Queen help me relax. Boy, did she.

On Tuesday, I had the class that Mr. Schoonover was in. Would he be there? I was happy to see him walk into the classroom. We made eye contact, and I couldn't help but return his smile. As I was getting ready to dismiss the class, I said, “Mr. Schoonover, would you see me before you leave.”

He looked at me and said, “Yes, Miss Nez.”

As everyone else was leaving, Mr. Schoonover walked up to my desk and said, “Did you want to see me, Miss Nez?”

“Yes. I just wanted you to know that Thursday. I might have some information for you on what we talked about.”

“Honestly?”

“Yes, Mr. Schoonover, honestly.”

He smiled a little, and as he walked away, he said, “Thank you.”

This afternoon, without Dr. Joe in the office, it was quiet, and I got a lot done on the project. I was beginning to put ideas together, and it was starting to make more and more sense to me. And building something like this wasn’t going to be hard. Los Alamos had supplied some interesting things, Nixie tubes and sockets for a frequency display, a meter to show strength, and a few other things. And I knew that the lab supply room would probably have anything else that we might need.

One of the integrated circuits was very interesting and was going to take some reading.

And I worked up a block diagram.

Wednesday was about the same except that Dr. Joe was back and handing out cigars with a blue wrapper that said, ‘It’s a boy!’ on it.

As he handed me one, I said, “I don’t smoke.”

“I know.”, Dr. Joe said. “I don’t either. But you need to have one.”

I took the cigar and said, “Thanks. And congratulations, daddy. Let us know when we can come over and meet … Ah. What’s his name?”

“Makwa.”

“Makwa? I take it that’s an Ojibwa name. What’s it mean?”

“Bear. But, we’re going to call him Mark.”

“What’s your Ojibwa name, Dr. Joe?”, I asked.

“You think I’m going to tell you!?”, Dr. Joe said.

“Oh, come on.”

“All right. It’s Kah-Ge-Ga-Gah-Bowh.”

“What’s that mean?”

“He who stands forever.”

“Interesting. What’s Mary's?”

“Meegwun, and that means feather.”

Dr. Joe and I then spent some time going over what I’d come up with on the project, and he agreed with what I’ve done with only a small change or two. So I got started on a schematic, and I had Dr. Joe read about the one integrated circuit.

Later as we were walking to the parking lot, I asked, “Dr. Joe, what did you think of that integrated circuit?”

“I was surprised by what it’s supposed to be able to do.”, Dr. Joe said. “I thought that the one for the other project was interesting, but this one beats that one hands down.”

“I know. When I have time, I want to study the circuit and see if I can figure it out.”

“I just want to know how they get it to frequency shift?”

“Me too.”, I said. “And I think I know how to get it to lock in when something is picked up.”

“I think I know what this device is for.”

“I think I do too.”

“What?”, Dr. Joe asked.

“Not here.”, I replied. “We’ve already said too much.”

“You’re right. 

“Why don’t you and Amy come over for dinner on Saturday after graduation rehearsal? Mary and the baby should be home.”

“Are you going to make Mary cook?”, I asked.

“No, We’ll cook on the grill.”, Dr. Joe said.

“Hamburgers?”

“No, steaks.”

“We’ll be there. What time?”

“Six o’clock.”

After I was home, and Amy and I had had dinner, the phone rang. Amy answered it with a, “Hello” … “Oh, hi, Vickie.” … “Yes, she’s here. Hang on.”

Then handing me the telephone, Amy said, “Kai, it’s Vickie.”

I took the phone and said, “Hi, Vickie.”

“Hi, Kai.”, Vickie said. “I spoke with Dr. Thomas today.”

“Oh. And what did she say.”

“She said that she’d like to talk to the boy. And that she’d treat it as patient and doctor privilege. When he calls her, have him mention your name.”

“That’s good to hear.”

Vickie then gave me Dr. Thomas’s office location and phone number. And I wrote it down. Then I said, “Ahéhee’, Sialea-lea. - (Thank you, Vickie.)”

And she replied, “Hágoshi´i´, Kai. - (You’re welcome, Kai.)”

“Vickie, your Navajo is getting better.”

“Thanks, Kai.”

We said so long again and hung up.

Amy then said, “So, Vickie was able to set something up for the boy with Dr. Thomas.”

“Yes. Now we’ll have to see if he follows through.”

Thursday morning in class, just like Tuesday, as I was dismissing the class, I said, “Mr. Schoonover, could I see you for a minute.”

He walked down to where I was. I handed him a piece of paper and said, “Here’s that information. Please let me know how it goes.”

“Miss Nez, I don’t know if I can do this or not.”

“Dr. Thomas will treat this as if you were a patient. It will be between you and her. But it’s up to you if you do.”

He looked at me and said, “Miss Nez, thank you.”

“It’s my pleasure, Mr. Schoonover. Just mention my name when you call her.”

Then it was back to the office and to work on the project.

Late that afternoon, when I was home, I received a sweet hug and kiss from Amy. Something like that makes my day. Then as we were eating dinner, Amy said, “I ordered a bed for the hogan.”

“Oh?”, I said.

“Uh huh. I thought it would be nice to have one before our parents arrive.”

“So, what did you find?”

“It’s almost like ours. Made out of cedar logs, with cedar branches woven into the headboard and footboard. I also pick up two matching bedside tables.”

“Sounds good.”

“I also got pillows and a comforter for it. We have enough sheets and pillowcases. And it’ll be here tomorrow afternoon.”

Friday was almost a duplicate of Thursday except that it was that last day of classes for the spring quarter. Next week was finals week. My classes had their finals on Monday and Wednesday. And Amy’s classes had their finals on Wednesday. And of course, this coming weekend was graduation. And being faculty, we had to go. Well, being a full-time instructor, I had to go. Amy didn’t have to, but she volunteered to go to keep me company.

Also, we weren’t going to make it to the barbecue this Friday. I had to put some time into the project. And we were meeting Iz and the people from Fish and Wildlife at nine on Saturday morning at the reservoir.

When I was home late on Friday afternoon, Amy met me at the door from the garage. Even before she kissed me, she took my hand and said, “I’ve got to show you.” And she started leading me towards the hogan. I protested by saying, “Can’t I change first?”

“No, you can do that later.”, Amy replied.

I knew better than to refuse her, so I said, “Okay. Lead on, Macduff.”

She led me out to the hogan. At the door, she said, “Close your eyes.”

“Why?”, I asked.

“Brat, just close them.”

I closed them and heard Amy open the door. Then she led me into the hogan and said, “Okay, open them.”

Being a brat, I said, “Open what.”

“Stop being such a brat and open your eyes!”

I opened my eyes and saw it. I saw a lovely bed with a nice comforter on it and several pillows scattered on that. There was a bedside table on each side of the bed, and on those tables were kerosene lanterns. The lanterns were lit, and with the fire that she had burning in the fire pit, it gave this a nice ambiance.

I looked at Amy and said, “Love, you did a wonderful job. This bed and the bedside tables go great with the hogan. But, where did you get the kerosene lanterns?”

“I stopped at the hardware store and picked them up.”

“Very nice. Now my Queen what doth thou say about a pizza for dinner, then coming back and trying out the Queen’s new bedchamber.”

“I love thy thinking, my Prince.” And I got my kiss.

I changed, and we headed for Nunzio’s Pizza. And being a Friday night and the last day of classes for the quarter, the line was long. We’d been in line almost half an hour when we heard, “Kai. Amy.”

We looked to where the voice came from, and it was Charlie and Jackie. And they were walking out of Nunzio's. They stopped, and we talked as the line slowly moved. We found out that their last finals were on Wednesday morning, and that Uncle Paul and the guys from the resort were coming on Thursday to move them up to the resort for the summer. We asked if they wanted to go with us tomorrow morning to visit the Eagles. They told us that they had too much to do with studying and packing to move to go with us. Then we told them that we’d be there next Friday with our parents. And they were excited that they were going to meet them.

We finally made it into Nunzio's, and we had our usual pizza and wine. And since I was driving I went easy on the wine, Amy didn’t. Back at home, we got ready for bed, locked up the house, and went to the hogan. We lit the two kerosene lanterns on the bedside tables. I laid a new fire and lit it. And when I turned around, my Queen was lying naked on the bed …

Saturday morning, when I woke up, it took me a minute to realize where I was, but when I did, I smiled as I remembered last night. I lay there looking at Amy and thinking about the past few years, and how much I love her.

After we were both awake, we made a nice breakfast, and then took showers. No, not together, because if we did, we’d relive last night and not make it to the reservoir on time. 

A little before nine, we pulled into the parking lot of the Jemez Canyon Reservoir. There were three pickup trucks there. One was Iz’s pickup, one of the others said ‘U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’ on the side of it, and the other one looked a little familure. And we saw five people. Five people? I was only expecting four. Of course Iz and his wife Nita, Miss Rankin, a naturalist from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Donald McMasters, an ornithologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Who’s the fifth?

As we got closer, I recognized the fifth person it was Zimm from the Albuquerque Parks Department.

We parked next to the pickup trucks and got out of the car. Amy and I greeted Iz and Nita. Then I said, “Zimm, it’s good to see you. But I’m surprised. I wasn’t expecting you.”

“That’s my fault, Miss Nez.”, Mr. McMasters said. “We were at a meeting together, and I happened to mention coming here, and he said that he’d like to see the Eagles again.”

I looked at Mr. McMasters and said, “Sir, after what happened here a few weeks ago, I’m not sure why we’re even here, other than Iz asked us. But I think you found out how protective the two Eagles are of their young. And I wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t show up just because you’re here.”

“Miss Nez, I’m really sorry about that. We shouldn’t have tried that, but we’ve done it before with birds of prey without a problem. But we learned that those Eagles didn’t want us around.”

“I thought that you’d learned that earlier.”

“I should have, but I didn’t. Miss Rankin had cautioned me about doing it. And I should have listened to her. Again, I’m sorry.”

“Is the guy that the Eagle attacked, okay?”

“Yes, he’s recovered.”

As we walked towards the Eagle’s nest, Zimm whispered, “Kai, you don’t like McMasters. Do you?”

“What gave you a clue?”, I whispered back.

“The way you talked to him. I hope that you don’t mind that I’m here.”

“Zimm.”, I said. “I’d never be unhappy to see you.”

As we approached the nest site, we didn’t see any Eagles or Eaglets. I wondered if they were going to show up or not?

We walked to the place that we usually go to visit with the Eagles. And we stood there. It wasn’t long until one of the adult Eagles flew in from behind us and landed on the nest, turned around, and looked at us.

We looked at him or her, and they squawked at us. Then we were surprised, as one after another, the Eaglets flew in and landed on the nest. The first one made a perfect landing, but the other two were a little wobbly on their landings. Then the other adult Eagle flew in.

Zimm said, “Wow. Five Bald Eagles all in one place.”

“And the young ones are so big.”, Amy added.

“That they are.”

We stayed there for about ten minutes, and Amy, Zimm, and Nita took pictures. Then Mr. McMasters said, “Miss Nez, I want to thank you for letting us see the Eagles again.”

I just looked at him, and coldly said, “You’re welcome.”

As we started walking away from the nest site Amy and I were at the back of our little group. And Amy was the only one that saw me walk over towards the base of the tree that the nest is on. When I reached what I’d seen, I stooped down and picked something up. Then I caught up with the group. Amy looked at me and said, “I see we have another feather.”

“I was thinking of giving it to Nita.”, I said.

“That would be nice.”

As we walked up to where the car was parked, we stopped, and I handed the Eagle feather, a flight feather, to Nita. She took it, looked at it, and said, “What’s this for?”

“It’s for you.”, I said.

“Why?”

“Just because.”

“Thank you.”

I smiled and said, “You’re welcome.”

“Where did you get that?”, Iz asked.

“It was about twenty feet from the base of the tree.”, I replied.

“I didn’t see it.”

“You weren’t looking for it.”

“You probably had inside information.”

I just smiled.

Zimm then said, “You know, with five Eagles flying around here, it’s going to draw attention.”

“That’s not good.”, I said.

“We could close the area.”, Nita said. “It’s not used that much. Is it Iz?”

“No.”, Iz said. “Kai and Ajie are the ones that we see here the most.”

“We could close it for you with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service signs.”, Mr. McMasters said.

“No.”, Nita said. “I think the Pueblo can handle this.”

“How long will they stay with their parents?”, Amy asked.

“They’ll say around the nest for a couple of months while they learn to hunt and to work on their flying skills.”, Mr. McMasters said.

“So, if we close the area for three months it should be good.”, Iz said.

“That should work.”

“And, of course, Kai and Ajie will be welcome at any time.”

“Thanks, Iz.”, I said.

“I don’t think we’d have them here if it weren’t for you.”

Again, I just smiled.

I looked back towards nest sight, saw something, pointed, and said, “Look.”

Everyone looked at what I was pointing at. The two Eagles and the three Eaglets were circling the area.

Amy and I said so long to everyone and headed back to the house. We had to be at the university at one for graduation practice. And I won’t bore you with this, because it was boring. I did run into Dr. Joe and Dean Rutherford. And of course, Dean Rutherford had to say, “I’m glad to see that you made it, Miss Nez.”

Sarcastically I said, “I wouldn’t miss it.”

After the practice, we headed back home, cleaned up, and dressed. We’d gone to see the Eagles and to the practice in our hiking gear, and we changed into our usual long skirts, fancy blouses, hair done in braids with headbands, and some jewelry. And we left the house in time to be at Dr. Joe and Mary’s house by six. I was carrying a package when Ajie and I walked up to the door, I knocked, and a woman opened the door, and said, “You must be Kai and Ajie Nez?”

“Yes.”, I said, and you must be Mary’s mom?”

“Yes, I’m Mrs. Two-Rivers.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Two-Rivers.”

“It’s nice to meet you too. Joe has told me a lot about you two. Come on in out of the heat.”

It was about ninety degrees out.

Mrs. Two-Rivers took us into the living room, and Mary was feeding little Mark. We walked over to her, and Ajie said, “He looks so sweet.”

Mary smiled and said, “He will be when he starts sleeping through the night.”

“I noticed that Dr. Joe was yawning during the graduation rehearsal.”, I said.

“I was.”, we heard Dr. Joe said as he walked in from the kitchen. “We didn’t get much sleep last night.”

“It will come in time.”, Mrs. Two-Rivers said.

As I handed the package that I was carrying to Dr. Joe, I said, “We brought something for little Makwa - (Mark).”

“You didn’t need to do that.”, Mary said.

“Of course we did.”, Ajie said.

“Open it, Joe.”, Mary said.

Dr. Joe opened the package and took the blanket out of the box. And everyone saw the christening blanket. Mary said, “Kai. Ajie. It’s beautiful. Thank you. But you shouldn’t have.”

“Mary.”, Ajie said. “Yes, we did. You are good friends, and it’s the least we can do.”

Mary’s mother walked over and touched the blanket and said, “It’s so soft. What kind of wool is it?”

“We were told that it’s Navajo Churro wool. I do know that it’s hand spun and hand woven.”

“Thank you again, guys.”, Mary said.

“Kai.”, Dr. Joe asked. “How do you and Ajie like your steaks?”

“You weren’t kidding about the steaks?”, I said.

“No, I wanted to celebrate my new son.”

“Well, I like mine medium rare and Ajie prefers medium.”

“Okay. Come help me cook the steaks.”

As Dr. Joe and I cooked the steaks, we talked about several things. At one point, Dr. Joe asked, “So, Kai, what do you think our project is for?”

“I think it’s some kind of receiver that scans a given part of the spectrum and stops when it senses something.”, I replied.

“Interesting. I was thinking along the same lines. But for what purposes?”

“Well, my sneaky mind is working. And remembering back to when Los Alamos’s security people pulled that shit on me. The FBI was concerned about bugs.”

“So, you think it’s a scanner to look for wireless bugs?”

“Could be.”, I said. “But they already have such things.”

“Since we’re working with integrated circuits, could it be a new, smaller, high tech, scanner?”, Dr. Joe asked.

“It’s possible. That one integrated circuit that they provided is really special. And I’m still not sure what it does. I know where it fits into the circuit. It’s like it filters things in a special way.”

“Hum. So maybe this looks for a special kind of bug?”

“Maybe.”, I said. “And from what I’m seeing, anyone could build this.”

“I know.”, Dr, Joe said. “But they want to keep it under the radar. So they send it to us to put together.”

“You know it's not going to take long at all to do.”

“How long do you figure?”

“Well, I have finals on Monday and Wednesday.”, I said. “And I need to get them graded right away because our parents will be here on Friday afternoon. So, that should give me all day Tuesday and Thursday, and possibly Friday morning.

“And I figure our parents will leave Monday for their driving tour and they maybe gone almost two weeks.

“Let me see how things go on Tuesday and I should be able to give you an idea.”

Dr. Joe and I brought the steaks inside, and the five of us sat down to a nice steak dinner. And Mary’s mother had made some very nice side dishes. Then as we were eating apple pie with ice cream for dessert, I excused myself. I went into the living room and retrieved an envelope from my purse. Then as I walk back into the dining room, I handed the envelope to Mary. She took the envelope and said, “What’s this?”

“It’s addressed to Makwa Oshie.”, I said. “So, it’s something for him.”

As Mary went to hand the envelope to Dr. Joe, she said, “Joe, you open it. I don’t trust these two.”

Dr. Joe took the envelope, opened it, removed a folded piece of paper, looked at it, handed it to Mary, and said, “We can’t accept this. It’s too much.”

“Yes, you can.”, I said. “And it’s just the beginning. It’ll continue to grow on its own. And anyone can add to it.”

I was looking at Mary as she looked at it, and I saw the tears start. Joe saw her crying and said, “Honey, don’t cry.”

“I … I can’t help it.”, Mary said. “It’s just so special.”

Mary’s mother asked, “What is it?”

“They’ve set up a trust fund for Makwa.”

“That’s nice.”

As Mary handed the letter to her mother, she said, “Mother, look at this.”

Mrs. Two-Rivers took the paper, looked at it, and said, “Oh my! One-thousand dollars!”

“And anyone can add any amount to it at any time.”, I said. “Plus, he can only use it for college fees, or if he doesn’t go to college, he can have it when he turns twenty-five or five years after he marries. And Mary and Joe, you are the trustees.”

“Guys.”, Dr. Joe said. “We really can’t accept this. It is too much.”

“Dr. Joe.”, I said. “You and Mary have been wonderful friends and have been with us through thick and thin. You helped me fit into my role as a college instructor and a researcher. And, we look at you as good friends. And we want to do this for your son.”

Dr. Joe sat back in his seat, looked at Mary, took a deep breath, then said, “I can’t believe you two. You set up that scholarship for the Navajo children and then do something like this. I guess we’ll accept it. All I can say is thank you two so much.”

“Dr. Joe, you are very welcome.”

I notice that Mary’s mother had just sat there, not saying a word, but taking it all in. I said, “Mrs. Two-Rivers, you haven’t said anything?”

“Kai, I’ve been told of the things that you and Ajie have done.”, Mrs. Two-River said. “I’m not surprised by this. You two have a soft heart for people and in particular young people. Even though you are young people yourself.”

Just then the newest member of the Oshie family was heard from, Mary excused herself, and got up to see to little Mark. And Amy went with her. They were gone a few minutes, and when they came back, Amy was carrying the baby. It was cute, and I smiled. Mary said, “Dirty diaper.”

Later as Ajie and I were heading home, I said, “You were so cute with little Mark.”