We were able to talk to Bill and Bridget and found out that they had stood up to Bridget’s dad and quelled his anger over the marriage.

On Sunday, we’d gotten little Tony baptized. Then Amy and I received a surprise. My dad gave us the Corvette.

Monday, when we were back in Albuquerque, we’d gone to visit the Eagles, and we had a surprise. We waited for the Eagles to show up, and when they did, they landed on the ground about thirty feet from us, and we had a nice visit. But why did they do that?

Thursday, we met with Chief Clah and the judge, Christine K. Nelson, over our name change. After everything was said and done, it was now legally Kai Nez and Ajie Nez. Then we found out that the judge knew about the real Kai Nez, or at least the two spirit one. Then Chief Clah found out that my dad had given us the Corvette, and we stirred the pot when we said that we were going to join the car club and would be bringing the Corvette to the meeting to try and win the Best Car plaque.

We found out that they had declassified the Navajo Code Talkers. And that both of my uncles had been part of the unit.

We’d gone to dinner with Chef Tom and Vickie, and Dr. Joe and Mary at the High Noon Restaurant and Saloon. And some clown had called me a heathen. Well, that got him a lashing, a tongue lashing, from me. But we didn’t let that deter our evening. We had a good time, and Vickie had given Ajie a new nameplate for her nursing uniform. It said, ‘Ajie Nez, RN’ on it.

After we were back home, we called our parents and told them that the name change had been completed. And I told my dad what happened with Chief Clah and the Corvette, and he got a laugh out of it.

Ajie and I cuddled together in the courtyard without any light. No fire in the fire pit. We just stargazed, and Ajie even spotted a few shooting stars.

On Friday, I went into the university early. Ajie and I wanted to leave for the resort and the barbecue as early in the afternoon as we could. So I was in early working on the project. Dr. Joe and I had agreed on what we needed, so I started on a block diagram of the project. I wanted to finish this before I left today so that I could start on the schematic on Monday.

I’d been working for about an hour when Dr. Joe came into the office. I heard a key in the door, so I was looking at the door when Dr. Joe walked in. He looked at me and said, “You’re at it early, Kai.”

“Yeah.”, I said. “I was here about seven.”

“Seven?”

“Uh huh. Amy … Oops, Ajie and I want to leave for the resort as early as we can.”

“Not used to her new name yet. Are you?”

“It’s not really new. We’ve used it a lot away from the university. It’s just getting used to using it all the time.”

As Dr. Joe walked over to look at what I’ve done, he said, “You were really on a high last night.”

“A high?”, I said.

“Yep. It was like you were walking on a cloud. That guy that called you a heathen didn’t even bother you.”

“Maybe I was on a high. I was feeling good. Everything was right. Or as we say il hózho´.”

“So, what does il hózho´ mean?”

“There’s no direct translation to English. But it means to be in balance and beauty with the world.”

“That’s a good word. And it was good to see you that way.”

“It felt good to be that way.”

“So, where do things stand on the project?”, Dr. Joe asked.

“I’ve got a lot of the block diagram done.”, I said. “And, of course, my mind is working on the schematic.”

“I figured that. I’ll leave you alone so that you can finish that block diagram.”

Finish it I did. I wrapped up the block diagram at about eleven, said so long to Dr. Joe, and headed to the house. As I approached the house, I saw the mailman pull away, and we waved. I stopped and grabbed the mail and paper, then drove up the driveway and into the garage.

I changed clothes, then we ate a quick lunch. As we ate Ajie said, “I thought we’d take along the adoption application.”

“Why?”, I asked.

“I’ve looked it over, and it’s comprehensive, and I figure a quiet place to fill it out might be good.”

“The remote hogan?”

“No, we need a place where we can sit and write. They want our life history and a bunch of other things.”

“That’ll be interesting.”

“I don’t think it’ll be that bad. It’s just going to take time.”

We’d decided to take the ‘57 Chevy to the resort, so we loaded everything in the car, put the top down, and headed to the resort.

As we walked into my aunt and uncles house, Ajie and I said, “Yá'át'ééh t'áá ájíltso. Nizhonigó íiná aadóó hozhónahasdlíí. - (Hello everyone. It is good, and all is harmony around us.)”

We heard a few voices say, “Yá'át'ééh, Kai dóó Ajie. Nizhonigó íiná aadóó hozhónahasdlíí.”

Those voices belonged to my Aunt Ruth, Uncle Paul, and Naainish.

“So, is it officially Kai and Ajie Nez?”, my aunt asked.

“Aoó. - (Yes.)”, Ajie replied.

Naainish smiled and said, “Yá’át’ééh. - (It is good.)”

We took our things back to our room, and I put the camera case in the floor safe. Then we went back to the kitchen and sat with everyone. I just looked at my Uncle Paul and smiled.

Uncle Paul frowned at me and said, “Kai, what are you up to?”

“Nothing, Uncle Paul.”, I replied.

“No, there’s something on that sneaky mind of yours.”

“I’m just trying to visualize you in a Marine uniform.”

He smiled and said, “The worst part of that was cutting my hair.”

“Oh, I never thought about that.”

“But we had to do it.”

“I have some pictures that I’ll show you later.”, Aunt Ruth said.

“Uncle Paul, how did this code talking work?”, I asked.

“I think that you know how hard the Navajo language is to learn if you don’t grow up with it.”, Uncle Paul said.

“It was.”, I said. “Ajie and I were lucky that my mother was such a good teacher and taskmaster.”

“Yes, you were. And what makes it even harder is our language isn’t written.”

“So, you just talked to each other in Navajo?”

“Yes, the Japanese were good at breaking some of our codes, but using Navajo we could speak over open telephone lines or radio frequencies that we knew the enemy was listening to with no fear of having our messages decrypted.”

“That’s so great.”

“We did have a problem with some words, so we developed a special dictionary, called the Navajo Dictionary¹, that we had to memorize.”

“Like what, Uncle Paul.”

“Well, there’s no Navajo word for submarine, so we called them besh lo.”

“Iron fish. Makes sense.”

“There was one that made no sense. At least to me.”

“What was that?”, I asked.

“Working with radios, we were always changing frequencies.”

“Yeah?”

“If we wanted to give out the frequency of, let’s say, 4724 kilocycles, we’d say di´i´'-tsosts'id-naaki-di´i´' Nas-tsaid-a-kha-ah-yeh-ha-dilh.”

“Okay. I get the numbers, di´i´' is four, tsosts'id is seven, and naaki is two. But nas-tsaid-a-kha-ah-yeh-ha-dilh is 'kill oil go around.' And, that makes no sense. Is that one of the things out of your special dictionary?”

“Excellent, Kai. Yes, it’s out of that dictionary and it means kilocycles.”

“How did the Navajo look at World War II?”

“Many of the People enlisted right after Pearl Harbor, but a friend of mine said it best when he said, ‘What happened to the Navajo were social conflicts. But this conflict involved Mother Earth being dominated by foreign countries. It was our responsibility to defend her.'²

“Kai, also remember that it just wasn’t the people of the Navajo Nation that did this, but also peoples from the Lakota, Meskwaki, Mohawk, Comanche, Tlingit, Hopi, Cree, and Crow Nations that took part in the code talking, as did others.”

“That’s good to know.”, I said. “And by the way, we brought the ‘57 Chevy up today. So if you’d like to take her for a ride, be my guest.”

“Really!?”, Uncle Paul said.

“Of course. Just remember that it’s a stick shift, has a 283-cubic-inch fuel-injected V8 engine, and can really peel tires in first gear.”

“Ah. Go with me?”

“Of course. Do we have time before the barbecue?”

“Maybe for a short ride.”

“Mind if I go?”, Naainish asked.

“Of course not, Naainish.”, Uncle Paul said.

“Then let’s go.”, I said. “Ajie, want to go along?”

“No, I’ll stay here with Aunt Ruth.”

Uncle Paul, Naainish, and I took the ‘57 Chevy out for a ride. As soon as my uncle started the car, he said, “That sounds like a lot of power.”

“It is.”, I replied. “Just take it easy starting out.”

Uncle Paul did okay until we turned north onto US Route 285, and if you happen to drive past where New Mexico 414 comes out on to US 285 and see the peel marks, you can blame my Uncle Paul.

Once he gained control of himself, my Uncle Paul said, “Sorry, Kai. It does have a lot of power.”

“That’s okay, Uncle Paul.”, I said. “I’ll send you the bill for new tires.”

We drove around for a little while then headed back to the resort. As we pulled in, I asked, “Can we put her in the garage?”

“Of course.”, uncle Paul said.

After we’d pulled into the garage, I got out of the car, looked at the tires, and said, “At least you didn’t turn my rear tires into slicks. I still have a little tread left on them.”

“Kai!”, my uncle said.

“Don’t worry, Uncle Paul. They’re fine.”

A short time later, when we walked into the house, I just barely had enough time to change for the barbecue. And yes, it was a fancy long skirt, a satin blouse, wrap moccasins, and silver jewelry. Most of the jewelry that I wore was what we’d received when Mr. Yazzie had passed. I took my hair out of the single braid and put it into two braids and wore the fancy braided leather headband with the Eagle feather.

When I walked into the kitchen, Ajie, my aunt, uncle, and Naainish where there. And we walked to the barbecue together. It was good to hear the musicians and singers, and see the dances, including Dibe. And of course, as soon a Dibe spotted us, she ran over, and Ajie and I got some big hugs.

Then Dibe pulled both Ajie and me into the dance area. Dibe danced with me, and one of Dibe’s friends danced with Ajie. As we danced, it was a slower dance and we could talk, so I said to Dibe, “Ajie and I legally changed our names.”

“To what? Why?”, Dibe asked.

“I’m now legally Kai Nez, and Ajie is Ajie Nez.”

“But those were already your names.”

“Not legally.”

“So, why?”

“We both feel that we’re part of the Nation, and we wanted to become closer to it. And we’re planning on adopting a Navajo child, and we wanted them to have a Navajo last name and not Young.”

“Lucky kid to have you for parents.”

“We’ll see how it works out.”

“Kai, with you and Ajie, it will work out just fine.”

“I hope you’re right, Dibe.”

“I am.”

I then saw my uncle wave at me, so I said, “I’ve got to go, the food is ready.”

“I’ll see you later, Kai.”, Dibe said.

“Yes, you will.”

I grabbed Ajie, and we went to where my uncle was. He handed me a list of special guests. I looked at the list, looked at my uncle, looked back at the list, looked at my uncle again, and said, “Are you kidding me?”

“No, they’re here for a small meeting.”

“Okay, so Chief Kinlicheeny goes first?”

“Of course. Do it in the order that they're listed.”

“Okay, Uncle Paul. Are you sure you don’t want to do this?”

“No, Kai, it’s your job.”

“Would you see if you can line them up in the order that they’re on the list so that they’re on my left.”

“I can do that.”

I showed the list to Ajie, and all she said was, “Really!?”

“Really.”, I replied. “You ready?”

“If you are.”

I watched as my uncle lined up our special guests. There was Chief Kinlicheeny, Chief Clah, Chief Tom, two other clan chiefs, and four other special guests. But not necessarily in that order.

After the special guests were lined up, as I’ve done before, I waited for the dancers to finish their dance. Then I signaled them, picked up the microphone, and said, “Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Kai Nez, and on my right is Ajie Nez, and we would like to offer you the following old Navajo greeting from the staff of the resort.”

Together Ajie and I said, “Yá'át'ééh! Nizhonigó íiná aadóó hozhónahasdlíí.”

Then I said, “And for those of you that don’t speak Navajo, we just said, ‘Hello! It is good, and all is harmony around us.’

“The staff of the resort and I would like to welcome you to our regular Friday night barbecue. The food is almost ready. But first, we have a few special guests that we’d like to recognize. If you would hold your applause until the end, this will go faster. And I’ll promise you no political speeches.

“On my left is our first special guest, Chief of the Navajo Nation, Chief Kinlicheeny.”

Chief Kinlicheeny, as he always does, just stepped forward and raised his hand. Then he stepped back.

Then I said, “And standing next to Chief Kinlicheeny is the Governor of the great state of New Mexico, William Black.” He just raised his hand. Then I said, “On his left is the Governor of the great state of Arizona, James Miller.” He raised his hand. And I went on to introduce the governors of Colorado and Utah.

Then I introduced Chief Clah, the Navajo War Chief. Then there were two clan chiefs, and finally as the youngest clan chief, Chief Tom. Then I applauded, and I was joined by everyone there.

Then I introduced Naainish with, “I know that I’ve been a little long-winded, and you’re hungry. But I have one more person to introduce, and then we can eat.”

Naainish walked up and joined me. I then said, “Ladies and gentlemen, this is Naainish Yazzie. Naainish is a Navajo medicine-man, and he has a short prayer for us. And then we can eat.

“And I’ll guarantee that you are about to enjoy a fantastic Southwestern barbecue.”

I handed the microphone to Naainish, and he said a short prayer, then I took the microphone back and said, “Ladies and gentlemen, the food is ready. Enjoy!”

As everyone got up to join the food line, Chief Kinlicheeny and Chief Clah walked over with the four governors and introduced Ajie and me to the governors. I found out that they were here for a meeting of the Governors of the Four Corners, which are the states that meet at the Four Corner’s marker. And since the Navajo Nation is within three of those four states, Chief Kinlicheeny was here too. But he’s usually here for the barbecue.

We chatted a little bit, then the chiefs and governors went and got in line for food. Chief Tom had been standing there, and after they walked away, he said, “Rubbing shoulders with the big wigs, Kai.”

“Chief Tom, I’d rather rub shoulders with the man on the street. I’m not impressed with people like that.”

“I know you’re not. You’re one of the most down to earth people that I know.”

As we walked up to get our food, we saw Charlie and Jackie, but they didn’t see us. We snuck up behind them and said, “Surprise.”

Charlie and Jackie turned around, saw us, and Jackie hugged Ajie. And Charlie hugged me. And then we changed and hugged some more. I was finally able to ask, “So, how are things going?”

Charlie said, “Better then we could have ever expected. Your aunt and uncle are wonderful. They keep us busy, but are great people to work for.”

“I’m happy to hear that.”, I said.

We chatted a little more, then Charlie and Jackie had to go to work. As in bringing more food from the kitchen.

Ajie and I got our food and then found my aunt and uncle and sat with them. As I sat, I said, “You know Uncle Paul, I was about ready to call you up and talk about the Navajo code talkers. But I thought better of it.”

“Thank you, Kai. I don’t need the notoriety.”, Uncle Paul said.

“I didn’t think so. Aunt Ruth said that both you and Uncle Gaagii were code talkers. I figure that you knew each other before the war.”

“We did. We were in each other's weddings and joined the Marines together. And served together.”

“I love hearing about family history.”

“Do you know what your dad did?” Uncle Paul asked.

“You know I don’t.”, I replied. “I’ve asked, but he always changed the subject.”

“I wonder if it’s secret like the code talkers were.”

“Could be. I do know that he wasn’t in combat. And I’m not sure what branch of the service he was in. If any.”

“He may have done things for the government and even remained out of the service because what he did was more important than one soldier carrying a gun.”

“Interesting thought.”

After dinner and just before Sunset, Ajie and I hiked up the cliff trail to watch the Sunset, and it was terrific with a lot of golds, yellows, and reds. There were some guests up there, and we talked about the Sunsets and Sunrises.

Then before we walked back down the cliff trail, we checked on the little tree, and it looked like it was growing nicely.

When we were back down off the cliff, we walked over to the bonfire, and my aunt and uncle were there, as were many of the guests of the resort. Also Chief Kinlicheeny, Chief Clah, the clan chiefs, and the governors where there. My aunt had a rug with her. As we walked up, my uncle handed me two matches and a striking surface. I took them and gave a match to Ajie.

Ajie and I walked over to the bonfire, knelt where the little trough filled with kerosene was, struck our matches, and lit the kerosene. Then as the wood started to burn, Ajie and I walked over to my aunt. Without a word, my aunt handed me the rug. Then Ajie and I walked over to where we usually sat. I spread out the rug, and we sat.

It wasn’t long until we heard Naainish start to chant. And both Ajie and I joined him in the chant. I concentrated on the fire and my thoughts. Then just before Naainish finished the chant, I had a vision. A vision of the Indian maiden and the wolf, no Eagle, and what I saw bothered me.

As we stood, Ajie looked at me and asked, “Honey, what’s wrong?”

“I had a vision of the Indian Maiden and the wolf, and I didn’t like what I saw.”, I replied.

“What did you see?”

“The wolf was standing apart from the girl and showing his teeth.”

“Didn’t Naainish tell you that meant trouble?”

“Yes, but what?”

I picked up the rug, folded it, and we walked back towards where I saw Naainish. But before we got to him, we were intercepted by Chief Kinlicheeny and the four governors. “Miss Nez.”, the Governor of New Mexico, William Black, said. “Chief Kinlicheeny was telling us that you were meditating and could feel the spirits of the fire.”

“Yes, sir.”, I said. “We feel not only the spirits of the fire, but other spirits in the area. This whole area and particularly the area of the fire pit and the thermal pools, have strong spirits. And this area is considered sacred by the native people. Not just the Navajo, but the Mescalero Apache, the Puebloan people, and others.

“And some of us feel the spirits more than others.”

“It was interesting watching you and listening to the singing that the man was doing.”

“That was Naainish, and he’s a medicine man, and he was chanting. You’ll have to excuse us, but we need to speak with him before he leaves.”

“That’s alright, Miss Nez. Thank you for an interesting experience.”

“It was my pleasure, sir.”

Ajie and I walked away from Chief Kinlicheeny and the governors, and went looking for Naainish. We found him with my aunt and uncle. As we walked up, Naainish said, “Something is troubling you, Kai Nez.”

“Yes, Naainish, there is.”

“You had a vision of the Indian maiden and the wolf.”

“Yes, and the wolf was standing away from her, showing his teeth.”

“There is trouble.”

“I know, but what?”

“It’s hard to tell. Let me meditate on it.”

“We’ll be here until after breakfast on Sunday morning.”

“I will know tomorrow morning. If I know anything.”

“So, you may not?”

“That’s always possible. But I don’t sense any problems here. But be careful when you are back home.”

“We will.”

Ajie and I left the bonfire and went back to the house. We changed out of our fancy clothes and went out on the patio. I laid and lit a fire, and we sat cuddled together.

I little later, my aunt and uncle came out on the patio and my aunt was carrying a plate. As she set the plate down, she said, “I thought that you kids might like some dessert.”

“Of course.”, I said. “We’d love it.”

My aunt had set down a plate of blueberry fry bread. All I can say is, “Oh! Yum!”

As we ate the blueberry fry bread, my uncle said, “Kai, I thought meeting the governors was the high point of your day.”

“Uncle Paul, you know that I’m not fond of politicians.”, I replied. “My high point was watching your face as you found out how much power the ‘57 Chevy has.”

“You did warn me.”

“That I did.”

We sat there enjoying the blueberry fry bread, the fire, and the night. In bed that night, Ajie took my mind off of everything with a wonderful foot massage.

We were up early on Saturday morning, so before breakfast, we hiked up onto the cliff to watch the Sunrise. We were up there before anyone else, which is unusual. But it wasn’t long until about twenty guests joined us. One of which was the governor of New Mexico.

I wanted to stay away from him, but that didn’t happen. He walked up to us and said, “Good morning, Miss Nez.”

Both Ajie and I said, “Good morning.”

“Oh, that’s right. You’re both Miss Nez.”

“That’s right, sir.”, I said. “I’m Kai Nez, and she’s Ajie Nez.”

“Do you come up here often?”, he asked.

“Yes, sir. Every chance we get.”

Just then, thank the Great Spirit, the Sun started to provide a show. And to Ajie’s dismay, there were a lot of reds and pinks in the show. So we may have storms later today or tonight.

Then we heard a scream from one of the group on the cliff top, Ajie and I ran over to the group, and I asked, “What’s wrong?”

Pointing, one of the men said, “There’s … There’s a wolf over there.”

I looked at Ajie and said, “Just like back in July.”

Then Ajie said, as only Ajie can, “Everyone listen to me. He won’t hurt you. I want you to slowly walk back over to the cliff trail and o back to the hotel.”

We then walked towards where the wolf was. When we got where he was, he looked at us and we at him, and I’d swear that it was the same wolf as back in July. Then I heard someone say, “Governor, should I shoot him?”

I quickly spun around and saw a man with a gun in his hand, and I yelled, “Put that damn gun away!”

“He may attack us.”, the man said.

“He won’t. He’s just checking on us. He’s done it before. Put the gun away.”

“John.”, the governor said. “Put your gun away.”

John put his gun away, and I turned back to Ajie and the wolf. The wolf was still there. He stayed another minute or so and then wandered off. I turned back to the governor and this John, and asked, “Governor, who is this guy?”

“He’s my bodyguard.”, the governor said.

“I’m glad he didn’t shoot the wolf. He meant no harm. I know that he scared some people, but that’s because they don’t understand the wolves.”

“How did you know he wasn’t going to attack us?”, John asked.

“I could feel it in his spirit.”

“That’s baloney.”

“Is it? How did I know that I could safely be with him? That he wouldn’t attack us. It’s because I could feel it in his spirit.”

“Believe her.”, Ajie said. “She has a way with animals. I’ve seen her do it with a mother bear with cubs.”

“A bear with cubs!?”, John said.

“Yes, a bear with cubs. She just wanted us to leave them alone. We did. And everything was fine.”

“We’ve been close to a few bears when we’ve hiked in the forest.”, I said. “And we carry guns for our protection when we hike and have never had to use them.

“I could feel the bears intent toward us.”

As we walked back down the cliff trail, we talked about the animals. And I think I got the governor to see that all animals are important to us in many ways. He asked us to have breakfast with him, but we declined. I knew that Aunt Ruth was planning on making fry bread breakfast tacos.

When we reached the hotel, my Uncle Paul was there along with several guests, and one guest asked, “Did the wolf leave?”

“Yes.”, I replied. “He was only checking on us.”

“You weren’t afraid?”

“No, we knew that he wasn’t going to attack us.”

My uncle asked, “Was it the same as last time?”

“Yes, Uncle Paul.”, I said. “And I think it was the same wolf.”

“You’ve had this happen before?”, Governor Black asked.

“Yes, we had an experience with a wolf, maybe the same wolf, about a month ago.”

My uncle walked away to talk with a few of the guests.

Then as Ajie and I were saying so long to the governor and John, the governor, as a final attempt to have us join him for breakfast, said, “Are you sure that you won’t join us?”

“No thank you, sir.”, I said. “My aunt is making fry bread breakfast tacos, and we don’t want to miss ‘em.”

“Are they that good?”

“Yes, sir, they are.”

We walked to the house, and as soon as we opened the door, the smells that drifted out where wonderful. Ajie and I went to work helping Aunt Ruth make the tacos. It wasn’t long until the five of us, yes, Naainish was here, were sitting down to one of Aunt Ruth’s wonderful breakfasts.

While we were eating, I told everyone the story of the governor and the wolf. Uncle Paul asked, “So you think that it was the same wolf as last time.”

“I think so.”, Ajie said.

“It was.”, I added.

“And his bodyguard wanted to shoot the wolf?”, Uncle Paul asked.

“Yes, but they listened to us.”

“Good.”

“Then, the governor asked us to join him for breakfast.”

“And you didn’t go!?”

“And miss out on Aunt Ruth’s breakfast tacos.”, I replied. “No way.”

“Kai, you passed on an opportunity to have an informal breakfast with the governor?”, Uncle Paul said.

“Uncle Paul, you know I don’t care for politicians.”

“But so far, he’s been a good governor.”

“Priorities.”

Uncle Paul just shook his head.

Then I looked at Naainish and asked, “Were you able to figure out why I had the vision that I did?”

“No, Kai, I wasn’t.”, Naainish said. “My only suggestion to you is until you have a vision where the wolf is at ease is to be cautious. Be aware of your surroundings and who’s close to you.”

“Now, I’m worried, Naainish.”

“Me too.”, Ajie said.

“Kai.”, Naainish said. “You are a wise and cautious person. You will be fine. But just be aware.”

“I always am.”, I said.

“Be more aware than you usually are.”

“I will be.”

Then Ajie said, “Naainish, not to change the subject, but I’m working on a textbook for a class the university wants for both the medical school and the school of nursing. It’s on working with the native people in a medical environment. Would you have time to sit down with me, so that I can get the thought from a medicine man for one of the chapters?”

“I’ll make time for you, Ajie.”, Naainish replied. “Will this be like that seminar that you did?”

“Yes, the book is based on that seminar, but goes into more detail.”

“Are you teaching the class?”

“Yes.”

“That is good. When would you like to do it?”

“Whenever you’re available.”

“Today?”

Looking at me, Ajie said, “We were going to work on our adoption application. But … “

“Honey.”, I said. “Your textbook is important too. I can sit and work on the application while you talk to Naainish. I’ll just put the answers that I come up within on a notepad, and then we can go over them later.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. I’ll just find a quiet place to work.”

Ajie smiled and said, “Thank you.”

“No problem. By the way, Aunt Ruth, Uncle Paul, and Naainish, when we give them this application, they will do a background check on us, and they may contact you.”

Everyone said that they wouldn’t have a problem with it. So after we’d finished cleaning the kitchen, Amy and Naainish went out on the patio to talk. And I hiked to the wooded area at the pond near the remote hogan.

When I was by the pond, I found a nice tree, spread out a blanket, dug out a notepad and the adoption application, and went to work. Name, address, high school, college, degrees earned, work history, hobbies, references, financial situation, previous marriages, religion, and so on. Ajie’s going to have to do the same thing.

I finally finished all of the questions that I could answer without Ajie. So I packed up everything and hiked back to the house. As I walked into the house, no one was there. I walked to the kitchen and looked out the door to the patio, and Ajie and Naainish were still talking. So, I went and got some orange juice, found the Navajo Times paper with the article about the code talkers in it. And I sat at the kitchen table, sipped my juice, and reread the article.

Just before I finished the article, Ajie and Naainish walked into the house. And, I asked, “So, Ajie, did you learn anything?”

“Yes.”, Ajie said. “Naainish was a wealth of information.

“How did you do with the application?”

“I got as far as I could without you. Maybe we can finish it this afternoon.”

“After we take Naainish to lunch. Then take a hike and get a good soak.”

“I like your thinking.”

We took Naainish to the restaurant for lunch, and the governors were also there. We got a hello from Governor Black of New Mexico. And of course, we returned the hello. Then I heard him tell everyone else at their table about this morning. I just shook my head.

After lunch and saying so long to Naainish, Ajie and I changed into our hiking clothes and headed to the trails. We hiked up the cliff trail and took the trail to the Mica Mines. It’s an out and back trail, and on the way back, we picked up the trail that took us down off the cliff, across the bridge, past the round barn, and back to the house.

Then we dug out our swimsuits and headed for the thermal pools. The mud pool was empty, so we took it over. We had fun slathering each other with mud, then sitting and baking in the sun. Later we showered and washed off all the caked-on mud. We didn’t get to the application.

After dinner, we were sitting out on the patio with my aunt and uncle, and my uncle said, “We’re having company for breakfast.”

I looked at him and asked, “Oh, who besides Naainish?”

“Governor Black.”

I looked at him for a couple of seconds and asked, “Why?”

“I guess someone turned down a breakfast invitation from him for a breakfast of fry bread tacos. And he wants to find out why.”

I just shook my head.

“Something wrong, Kai?”, Aunt Ruth asked.

“I guess not.”, I replied. “But we have to leave early, Ajie’s working three to eleven in the ER.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem.”, Uncle Paul said. “They’ll be here at seven.”

“They?”

“The governor and his bodyguard.”

“I know his name’s John, but who is his bodyguard?”

“He’s a member of the New Mexico State Police. A lieutenant.”

“Maybe that’s why he just didn’t start shooting at the wolf.”

“He probably has more smarts than that. But I’ll bet that you were between the wolf and them.”

“You’d win that, Uncle Paul.”

“And it didn’t scare you being that close to the wolf?”, Aunt Ruth asked.

“No, I felt no threat from him.”, I replied. “It was like he was visiting with us, like what the Eagles do.”

“And you do feel their spirits?”

“Yes, and what’s in their hearts. That’s how I knew the wolf wouldn’t attack.”

“Kai, if I didn’t know you better, I’d say you were a mai-coh.”

“A witch!”, I said. “Aunt Ruth, why would you say that?”

“Because of the way you can sense things with the animals.”

“And people?”

“Yes, and people.”, Aunt Ruth said. “And, Kai, you are not a witch. You are a special Nádleeh with the power of the wolf. I think that the wolf feels that you are one of them.”

“I like Aunt Ruth’s thoughts on this.”, Ajie said. “The animals see that you are special. That’s why the bears also treated us like they did.”

I didn’t say anything but just nodded yes.

As Ajie and I got up to go in and go to bed, Uncle Paul said, “Be careful, Kai. The governor is single. And I think he likes you.”

“Uncle Paul!”, I said. “First, I don’t like guys. Second, I’m already married. And third, he’s at least twenty-five years older than I am.”

“Twenty-four.”

As Ajie and I were getting ready for bed, I said, “I don’t know if I’m happy about the governor having breakfast with us or not.”

“Maybe he wants to try the tacos?”, Ajie said.

“And find out more about us.”

Later as we lay in bed, I was looking at Ajie’s naked body, and I said, “You know, I love you more and more every day.”

With a sly smile, Ajie replied, “Likewise, lover.”

Well, I think you can guess what that turned into.

Sunday morning, when Ajie and I were awake, but still in bed, I asked, “Did we have storms last night?”

“If we did, I didn’t hear them.”, Ajie replied.

We were up early enough to take showers. No, we didn’t take them together. We get all of those at home that we want. Later, when we walked into the kitchen, my aunt and uncle were there drinking coffee. And my aunt asked, “Can I get you kids something?”

“Stay put, Aunt Ruth.”, Ajie said. “We know where everything is.”

Ajie and I got some orange juice and sat with my aunt and uncle. Finally, we got started making the fry bread breakfast tacos. I was put in charge of the fry bread, and Ajie and my aunt were doing the rest.

Just before seven, there was a knock at the front door. No one uses the front door. My uncle had disappeared, so Aunt Ruth said, “Kai. Honey. Will you get the door?”

“Do I have to?”, I asked.

“Kai, he won’t bite.”

“Oh, okay.”

I walked over to the front door, opened it, and it was Governor Black and his bodyguard, John. The governor smiled and said, “Good morning, Miss Nez.”

I said, “Yá’át’ééh abiní, Naat'ianii 'Lizhin. T'áá shoodí wóshde´e´’.”

“Miss Nez.”, the governor said. “I’ll never understand Navajo.”

“I just said, ‘Good morning, Governor Black. Please come in.’ And it’s just Kai.”

“Thank you, Kai.”

As they walked in, I said, “Everyone is in the kitchen.”

And I led the way to the kitchen. My uncle had reappeared and was making coffee. He saw us and said, “Good morning, Governor.”

“Good morning, all.”, the governor said. “I’d try to give you the greeting that Miss Nez gave me, but it was in Navajo, and I’d never attempt it.”

I grinned and said, “You could just say, ‘Yá’át’ééh, t'áá ájíltso.’”

And what’s that mean?”

“It is good, everyone.”

“I think I’ll just stick with good morning all.”

My aunt then said, “Kai, you’d better get started on the fry bread.”

As I headed to the stove, I said, “Okay, Aunt Ruth.”

As I started making the frybread, Ajie and Aunt Ruth started frying the eggs. The bacon was cooked earlier. As I finished one frybread taco, Amy would grab it, and she and my aunt would pile on crumbled sausage, diced potatoes, diced avocados and tomatoes, queso fresco cheese, sour cream, beans, salsa, bacon, and a fried egg.

It didn’t take us long to put together six of the breakfast tacos. Naainish hadn’t shown up. And we enjoyed a great breakfast. The talk wasn’t what I thought it would be, it more just general chit chat.

Then the governor asked, “What do you do, Miss Nez?”

“Which one of us?”, I asked.

“Both of you.”

“Ajie is a nurse and working on her doctoral degree.”, I said. “She’s also part-time teaching faculty, and works in the emergency room at the university's hospital. I’m also working on a doctoral degree, doing research, and I’m full-time teaching faculty.”

“I take it that this is at the University of New Mexico.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Kai, are you also in nursing?”

“No, sir. Electrical engineering.”

“Wait a minute. There was something about the university’s board of regents and a native girl that’s in the engineering program.”

I felt my face get red, then I said, “Ah. Yes, sir.”

“That wasn’t you. Was it?”

“It might have been.”

“Miss Nez, from what Dr. Lingham has told me, the changes in the board have helped the university immensely.”

“They did, sir?”

“Yes. Do you know Dr. Lingham.” (Dr. Lingham is the president of the university.)

I looked at Ajie. Then she said, “Yes, sir, we do. He’s our next-door neighbor. And we’ve met him several times at the university.”

Looking at me, the governor said, “You are that girl.”

I sighed and said, “Yes, sir. But I don’t like to talk about that. It wasn’t a fun time.”

“I understand. But you live next door to Dr. Lingham?”

“Yes, sir. We bought a house and didn’t know he lived there until after we’d bought it.”

“I bet that was a surprise?”

“Yes, it was. But a pleasant surprise. He and his family are good neighbors.”

John, the governor's bodyguard, had been sitting quietly through breakfast. He finally said, “Governor, can I ask something?”

“Of course, John.”, the governor replied.

Looking at me, John said, “Miss Nez, I’ve been wondering about something since we were up on the cliff. Do you mind if I ask you something?”

“No, I don’t mind.”, I said. “But if I feel that it’s inappropriate, I just won’t answer.”

“That fair. Miss Nez, you said that you could feel the spirits of the animals. How?”

“John, do you know anything about the Navajo people?”

“A little.”

“Have you ever heard the word Nádleeh before?”

“I can’t say that I have.”

“It’s someone special to the Navajo people. It’s someone that has two spirits, the spirit of a man and the spirit of a woman. It is said that they see things through the eyes of a man and a woman at the same time. And that allows them to see things that others can’t. It also allows them to feel the spirits.”

“Are you one of those?”, the governor asked.

“Yes.”

Looking at my uncle, the governor said, “Is she?”

“Yes, she is.”, my Aunt Ruth answered. “And there’s more to it than that, and most of us don’t understand it.”

“Do you understand it, Kai.”

“No, sir. Not completely. I do know that I can sense the spirits in only some people. Like with you and John, I can’t feel your spirits, but with Ajie, and my aunt and uncle I can. I can feel the spirits around the resort. And only with some animals that I have contact with like the wolf.”

“Miss Nez, that is unusual. I’ve heard that some people within the various tribes have something like this, but you’re the first that I’ve ever met.”

“Naainish Yazzie is a medicine man and a nádleeh.”

“I never knew that. I know that he’s a medicine, but not the other.”

“We don’t advertise it, but the People, in various ways, seem to know. Ajie and I are private people and don’t like the attention that it can bring. So, I’ll ask that you and John if you will please keep this to yourselves.”

“We will.”, the governor said. “Won’t we, John.”

“Yes, sir.”, John said.

“I know you will.”, I said. “If I didn’t feel good about both of you, you wouldn’t have heard anything about it.”

“You felt good about us?”, the governor asked.

“Yes, sir, she did.”, Ajie said. “She can tell when she can trust people.”

The governor did say a word, but just looked at me.

Ajie and I got up to clean up the kitchen before we headed home. As we worked, Uncle John, Aunt Ruth, and the Governor talked. They were talking politics, and I wanted no part of that. But, I did hear them mention Bisahalani Tso. (Just in case you don’t remember who Bisahalani Tso or Hal is. He’s a New Mexico State Senator and the son-in-law of the people who built our house.)

Having heard the Governor mention, Hal’s name piqued my interest in the conversation. And when I could, I said, “Governor, what do you think of Senator Tso?”

“Do you know him, Kai?”, the governor asked.

“In away. His in-laws built the house we bought, and he was involved in it for the family during the sale.”

“I see. How do you feel about him?”

“I like him and think that he might make a good U.S. Senator.”

“That so?”

“Yes, sir.”

“I’m glad. I like him too, even though we’re not of the same party.”

“I don’t look at the party. I look at the person and what they stand for.”

“I like your thinking, Kai. Ajie, do you feel the same way?”

“Yes, sir. I do.”, Ajie replied.

“So, you’re both independent voters.”

“Yes, sir. I’d say we are.”

Ajie and I went back to our cleaning, and I heard the governor whisper to my aunt and uncle, “Those two are very interesting.”

And I saw both my aunt and uncle nod, yes.

A little later, as we were saying so long to the governor, he said, “Kai, I see why you passed on breakfast with me the other day. Those breakfast tacos that your aunt makes are wonderful.”

“Thank you, Governor.”, Aunt Ruth said. “Kai and Ajie also make a good frybread taco.”

“It’s been wonderful to be able to spend some time with you. I know I’ll see you all again. Goodbye.”

Ajie and I said together, “Hágoónee', Naat'ianii 'Lizhin. - (See you later, Governor Black.)”

The governor looked at us and said, “And what does that mean?”

“We feel that saying goodbye is too permanent.”, Ajie said. “So we say hágoónee' which means see you later. So, we said, ‘See you later, Governor Black.’”

The governor smiled and said, “I know I’ll see you again, so, so long.”

A short time later, as we were saying, hágoónee' to my aunt and uncle. My Uncle Paul said, “See, the governor isn’t so bad.”

“No, he wasn’t.”, I said. “He seems down to earth.”

“Most of the time, he is unless he isn’t getting his way. And it surprised me that he had nothing to say when he found out that you felt that you could trust him.”

“I know. A politician with nothing to say is different.”

Two hours later, we were pulling into the garage at home. This would give Ajie a chance to catch a nap before she went into the hospital. While Ajie was napping, I dusted off the ‘57 Chevy and put it’s cover on it. Then I walked down to the mailbox and retrieved the mail and newspapers. And there were no messages on the answering machine.

When Ajie woke up from her nap, we sat down to a salad that I’d put together for us to have as a light meal. Then she showered and changed into her nurse’s uniform. When she came back out of the bedroom, she handed me her new name tag, and said, “Here pin this on me.”

I took the new name tag, removed the old one from her uniform, and pinned the new one on. Then I kissed her. She smiled and said, “I’ll see you about eleven-thirty.”

“Okay.”, I said. “Call me if you’re going to be late.”

“I will. See you later, lover.”

“See you, sweetheart.”

After Ajie left, I worked on the project for my doctoral dissertation for a few hours, and it was looking good. When I took a break, and since it was Sunday evening, I called both of our parents. They were all interested when I told them that we’d met the governors of the four corners states.

When I finished working on my project, I went and sat in the courtyard and watched the stars and listened to nature, and, with the help of the cool air, I fell asleep.

I was startled awake by a kiss on my forehead. I opened my eyes, saw Ajie, and she said, “Hi, sleepyhead.”

“Oh, hi. What time is it?”, I asked.

“Just about eleven-thirty.”

“Oh, I was going to make us some dinner.”

“That’s okay. I’m not hungry. Lock up the house, and let’s go to bed. You need to go to the university tomorrow.”

“Don’t remind me. Any comments on your new name?”

“No, not one. But I think that everyone that I work with knew it was coming. I’d talked to a few people about it and the rumors fly in that place.”

“That probably made it easier for you.”

“I think it did.”