The four of us had gone for a walk along the Rio Grande River, and we ran into Lieutenant Zimm from the Albuquerque Park’s Department. And we decided to visit the Eagles on Sunday afternoon. So on Sunday a group of us had visited the Eagles. And everyone got to see the three Eaglets. On the way home, we'd purchased the patio furniture for the courtyard.

Monday, a very nervous me, and along with Dr. Lingham, we had met with the new Board of Regents and discussed the fire that had killed Tim and Rachel, and the installation of smoke detectors. And surprisingly, at least to me, it went very well. I also learned from Dr. Lingham that the university was going to pay for Charlie and Jackie to go to the funeral.

Charlie filled us in on what had happened at the university’s maintenance department over the smoke detectors. I guess the ball is rolling.

Tuesday after our classes, we were back at the house, quickly finished our packing, which included some silver jewelry out of the safe. And we were off to the airport. We checked in at the airlines counter, and they had the four tickets for us, we dropped off our checked luggage, and headed down the concourse to our gate. And, yes, I was carrying the camera case.

A little over two hours later, we landed in Tucson. Then we collected our luggage and went to the car rental counter. They handed me keys to a car without question and told us that the university had taken care of everything. Our motel was part of the same chain that Amy and I had used that time we’d driven back to Ohio from the resort. And I asked the people at the car rental counter where it was, and they gave me directions.

We drove over to the motel and checked in, our rooms were nice and right next door to each other. The motel had a pool, but we didn’t bring our suits. We settled in, and then since we hadn’t had lunch, we asked the room clerk for a good restaurant. And she suggested the El Charro Cafe and told us how to get there.

We followed her instructions and were soon walking into the restaurant. It was busy for a late weekday afternoon. And we found out why. This is an excellent Mexican restaurant that’s been here since nineteen-twenty-two. And they have an excellent menu.

They make their own sangria, what good restaurant doesn’t. Their Classic Sangria is made of a blend of red and white wines, muddled fresh fruit, juices & brandy. And, Amy had one of those. The rest of us settled for something non-alcoholic. Me because I was driving. But I tried a sip of Amy’s sangria, and it was excellent.

And the food here was also exceptional. Charlie and I both had their Más Bueno Torta Burger which is made on freshly made torta bread with a patty of beef or chicken, and that is smothered in grilled onions, queso, chipotle ranch dressing, two strips of applewood bacon, avocado, and green chile. And it's served with rice and beans. I know sometimes I can still eat like a guy.

Ajie had their El Charro Carne Seca Enchiladas. And Jackie was going to have their Vegetarian Enchiladas until I said, “Don’t you know that the word vegetarian is an old Indian word that means poor hunter?”

Jackie looked at me and said, “Kai! I’m not a vegetarian. It just sounded good.”

I just smiled and shrugged my shoulders.

Jackie went ahead and ordered the Vegetarian Enchiladas.

As we were eating, I said, “There’s been someplace that I’ve wanted to see since I first read about it.”

“What’s that?”, Charlie asked.

“The Saguaro National Monument.”

“What’s there, Kai?”, Amy asked.

“It’s just outside of Tucson. And there are some really big cactuses in it. Some are around fifty feet tall.”

“I’d like to see that, too.”, Charlie said.

“Do we have time tonight before the memorial service?”, Amy asked.

“That’s at seven.”, I said. “So, maybe not tonight. Maybe we can do it before we leave tomorrow.”

We passed on dessert. We’d all overeaten. Well, Charlie and I did. So we went back to the motel to clean up for the memorial service.

Ajie and I had worn long fancy skirts, fancy blouses, and sneakers to fly to Taos. And we'd gone light on the jewelry. We were going fancy for the memorial service, so when we were back at the motel, we replaced the skirts and blouses with Biil dresses. Ajie wore the red one, and I wore the black one. We both wore wrap moccasins.

The silver jewelry came out of the camera case. I wore a Concho belt, one of the squash blossom necklaces, the hair-pipe bone choker with the silver medallion and silver feathers, two silver and turquoises bracelets, and two rings. Ajie and I wore the matching silver feather earrings.

Ajie also wore a Concho belt, two bracelets, some rings, and the fancy choker made of beads.

Both of us had our hair in a single braid, so we each added a fancy end piece. And both of us replaced the simple headband that we were wearing with one of the braided leather headbands with the Eagle feather.

This motel had a safe in every room, so we locked up the camera bag in the safe.

Then I walked to the office and asked directions to the funeral home that we needed to go to. The clerk gave me the directions and then said, “I knew that you were a native when I first saw you.”

“Yes. “, I said. “I’m a member of the Navajo Nation.”

“I thought so. I’m Hopi.”

I smiled and said, “I also thought that you were a native when we talked earlier.”

“I love your silver jewelry.”

“Thank you. My grandfathers made most of it.”

“Are you here for the Parker funeral?”, The clerk asked.

“Unfortunately, yes.”, I replied. “We knew the them at the university. And we’re also here representing the University of New Mexico.”

“That was very sad what happened to them.”

“Did you know them?”

“No, but it was front-page news.”

“It was front-page news in the Albuquerque paper too. And it was a real shame that it happened. They were nice kids.

“It was nice talking to you. I’ve got to run, or we’ll be late.”

“There will be a lot of people there.”, the clerk said. “They’re families are well known.”

When I was back with Ajie, Charlie, and Jackie, I told them about what the room clerk had told me about there going to be a lot of people at the funeral home.

I followed the directions that the room clerk had given me, and when we got to the funeral home, we saw that she was right, there were a lot of people there.

The parking lot was big, and it was almost full. We had to park a distance away from the funeral home itself. So, it was a walk across the parking lot, then stand in a line that was out the door. But we also saw people leaving. So, some people were coming to pay their respects and not staying for the memorial service.

The line moved slowly. And of course when Ajie and I are dressed this way we are looked at, and receive comments. We’ve gotten used to the attention that we get.

When we were inside we signed the visitation books, and there were two, both Ajie and I wrote ‘University of New Mexico’ as our address. The line moved slowly down the main aisle of a large room set up with folding chairs towards two almost identical caskets. The only difference was the color.

One of the caskets was a pale pink, and the other a grayish silver. And the number of flower arraignments was amazing. Both caskets had a blanket of roses. The pink casket had a blanket of pink roses. The grayish silver casket had a blanket of red roses.

And we saw that Tim and Rachel’s wedding picture was in a frame on a stand between the caskets. Rachel was a gorgeous bride.

There was a group of people standing at the head of the gray casket. I figured that they were probably Tim and Rachel’s families.

When we reached the pale pink casket, as I figured, it was Rachels. We stopped, and I quickly and quietly chanted a prayer and Ajie said it with me. Charlie and Jackie stopped at the casket for a few seconds, I glanced at them, and Jackie was crying.

The line moved so that Ajie and I were quickly at the head of Tim’s casket, and I again chanted the prayer, and Ajie again joined me.

We reached the group of people that was standing at the head of the casket. As we walked up, I said, “Hello. We are very sorry for your loss. I’m Kai Nez, and this is my cousin Ajie Nez. We and our two friends, Charlie and Jackie Hamilton, are here from the University of New Mexico. Ajie and I are on the faculty, and Charlie and Jackie are students. We all knew Tim and Rachel and had to come and pay our respects. We were also asked to give you condolences from Dr. Charles Lingham, the president of the university. And from the Board of Regents, and all the faculty and students of the university.”

One of the women reached her hand out to me, and I took it. We just looked at each other for a few seconds. I felt something. Then she said, “Miss Nez, I’m Tim’s mother, and I’m happy to see that you came this far to see them. I heard the two of you say something that I didn’t understand. What was it?”

“Mrs. Parker, it was a short Navajo prayer, and we said it in Navajo. The four of us had to come. We knew them and lived in the same apartment building that they did.”

She introduced us to her husband, and to Mr. and Mrs. Foster, Rachel's parents. Then she said, “Thank you for coming. The four of you being here means a lot to us.”

She let go of my hand, and Ajie and I walked away from the caskets. And Charlie and Jackie followed us. We walked over to the side of the room and stood there with some others. Then I said to Ajie, “I wish there was a place to sit outside until the memorial service.”

“We have a memorial garden just outside.”, a man standing near us said.

I looked at him, and he was wearing a name tag that said, ‘Jonathon Wilson, Funeral Director.’ So, I said, “Where is this memorial garden, Mr. Wilson?”

“Let me show you.”

We followed him out through a door and into a beautiful garden of southwestern desert plants, as he showed us, Mr. Wilson said, “I think that the memorial service will begin in about half an hour.”

“Thank you, Mr. Wilson.”, I said. “We’ll come back in before that.”

After Mr. Wilson went back inside, Ajie asked, “Why did did you want to come out here?”

“I just needed to be out where I can see the sky.”

We found two benches close together and sat quietly for a few minutes. Then Jackie said, “It was really hard seeing Tim and Rachel this way.”

“It was.”, I said. “And it brought back the memories of all the funerals that we’ve been to in the past year.”

“How many, Kai.”

“More than I care to think about. But, counting this one, I think it’s six. And you know what bothers me the most?”

“What’s that, honey?”, Ajie asked.

“Our friend Max’s girlfriend. We don’t know what’s happened with her and the baby.”

“Baby?”, Jackie asked.

“Yes, Max and his girlfriend, Christine, were going to have a baby.”, Ajie said. Then he was killed in Vietnam. We don’t even know if he knew that Christine was pregnant.”

“Did you sense this, Kai?”

“No, she told me.”, I replied. “I never sensed her spirit or a baby’s spirit. The only thing that I sensed from her was the deepest sorrow that I’ve ever felt. More than what I’m feeling here.”

“We could ask Maria.”, Ajie said.

“That might be a good idea. But I wonder if Maria knows about Christine?”

“Honey, I think if Christine is pregnant, everyone knows. She’d be six months along and showing.”

“I guess we can call Maria when we get home.”

We sat there a little while longer looking at the twilight sky. “Kai.”, Jackie said, “How do you handle all of this?”

“All of what?”, I asked.

“Helping people to accept death. Helping others accept the death of their loved ones. And all the things that have happened to you.”

“Jackie, I think the biggest thing is that I have a great support base, Ajie gives me the most support. Then there’s my family. Then my friends, you and Charlie, the Oshies, the Etsittys, and the Navajo people. Plus I have two strong spirits that help me deal with things.

“And believe it or not the Eagles also help.”

“Kai, you are amazing.”

“No, I’m not amazing. I’m just me.”

“Kai.”, Charlie said. “From some of the things I’ve seen happen, you are not just you.”

“I feel that I’m just me.”

“There’s more to you than meets the eye.”

Just then, Mr. Wilson came out into the garden and said, “The memorial service is about to start.”

“Thank you, Mr. Wilson. We’ll be right in.”

The four of us followed Mr. Wilson into the funeral home. When we walked in most of the seats were taken. We looked around and found four chairs together at the back of the room. We walked back to them and sat. I saw Tim’s mother, Mrs. Parker, looking at us. She stood up and walked over to where we were seated. As she walked up to us, I stood up, and she said, “Miss Nez. I don’t know why, but I feel that you have something to share with us.”

I smiled and said, “Mrs. Parker, it might be that your native blood is telling you that I might have something to share.”

“How did you know that I have Indian blood.”

“When I held your hand a little while ago, I felt it.”

“Are you a medicine woman?”

“No. But, I am someone who the Navajo people look at as being special.”

“My ancestor was back east, and we think that she was from the Five Nations.”, Mrs. Parker said.

I smiled, and said, “The Iroquois Nation¹, that’s interesting. Do you know which tribe?”

“No, all that I know is what I’ve heard from spoken family history. And no one has mentioned a tribe.

“Now, Miss Nez, do you have something to share with us?”

“Yes. If you’d like me to, it’s an old Native prayer called Life Must Go On.”

She thought for a couple of seconds, and said, “Yes, I like the title. Please come and sit with us.”

“Is there room for two, I think Ajie would like to be with me.”

“We’ll make room.”

I looked down at Ajie, Charlie, and Jackie, and said, “Ajie, come with us. Charlie and Jackie, we’ll be back.”

“No, Miss Nez, have your friends come with us too. We’ll find room for them.”

The four of us walked with Mrs. Parker to where the families were sitting. And we sat in the row right behind where the family was. Then we sat through the memorial service. They must be Catholic as a Priest did most of the memorial service.

Then Mrs. Parker got up and said a few words about Tim and Rachel as did Mrs, Foster, Rachel’s mother. Then Mrs. Parker said, “We have some people here who knew both Timothy and Rachel while they were at the University of New Mexico. Two of them are members of the Navajo Nation, as well as being members of the faculty at the university. I’ve asked them to share a prayer with us. Kai Nez and Ajie Nez would you please join us.”

Ajie and I got up and joined Mrs. Parker and Mrs. Foster. Then I said, “We did know Tim and Rachel, and this prayer is how we are going to remember them. It's an old Navajo prayer called Life Must Go On. Please pray with us.”

I took Mrs. Parker’s hand in mine. And I saw Ajie take Mrs. Foster hand in her hand. Then Ajie and I said in unison;

“Grieve for me, for I would grieve for you.
Then brush away the sorrow and the tears
Life is not over, but begins anew,
With courage, you must greet the coming years.
To live forever in the past is wrong;
It can only cause you misery and pain.
Dwell not on memories overlong,
With others, you must share and care again.
Reach out and comfort those who comfort you;
Recall the years, but only for a while.
Nurse not your loneliness, but live again.
Forget not. Remember with a smile.”

When we finished, we hugged Mrs. Parker and Mrs. Foster, then we went back to our seats. I looked over at Jackie, and she was crying. Mr. Wilson, the funeral director, got up and said, “Thank you all for coming and celebrating Timothy and Rachel’s life. I would suggest that those of you that are going with us to the cemetery tomorrow be here no later than nine-thirty. We will be leaving here at ten o’clock after a short ceremony.”

As we stood, Jackie looked at me and said, “Kai, that prayer was beautiful.”

“Thanks.”, I said.

The Priest then walked up to us and said, “Miss Nez, that prayer was from the heart. Thank you for sharing it.”

“It was given from the heart, Father.”, I said. “That prayer first came to me when we were flying back to Ohio to bury a friend who died in Vietnam. It helped his mother and fiancee accept his death.”

“I’ve buried too many boys because of that war.”

“One is one too many.”

“It is.”

The families of Tim and Rachel walked up to us, and Mrs. Parker said, “Miss Nez and Miss Nez, thank you so much for coming and for that prayer. Both Rachel’s mother and I feel a little better.”

“I’m glad. It’s helped others before this. It helps them accept the death, but the pain takes time. And, remember that it’s just Kai and Ajie.”

Jackie then said, “That prayer will be how I’ll remember Tim and Rachel.”

“Will you be with us tomorrow?”, Mrs. Parker asked.

“Yes, we will.”, I replied.

“We’re happy that you will. We’ll see you tomorrow.”

As the rest of the family walked away, Mr. and Mrs. Parker, Tim’s parents, hung back. And Mr. Parker looked at me, and asked, “Miss Nez, you haven’t heard anything about how the fire started. Have you?”

“No, sir, I haven’t. All I know is that the New Mexico State Fire Marshall’s Office is looking into it.”

“Thank you. That’s good to hear.”

As the four of us got into the car, I said, “I wish I knew where I could get a good milkshake.”

“A ginger ale milkshake, Kai?”, Charlie said.

“Right now I’d settle for any good milkshake.”

“I could go for something to eat.”, Ajie said. “We ate dinner too early.”

“Me too.”, Jackie said.

“Okay, we’ll see what we can find.”, I said.

We drove through Tucson looking for a drive-in. Finally, Charlie said, “Hey, there’s a place that sells chili dogs.”

“Where?”, I asked.

“To the left on the street that we just past.”

“I’ve never had a chili dog.”, Ajie said. “Whatever that is?”

“It’s a hot dog on a bun smothered in chili.”, I said.

“I guess nothing ventured. Nothing gained.”

I went around the block, and we saw a sign for Pat's Chili Dogs. There were some cars parked around the building, and I asked, “Shall we?”

“Why not.”, Ajie said.

“We’re up for it.”, Charlie said.

So, I pulled into Pat’s Chili Dogs. And we parked. It took us a minute or two to figure out that you had to walk up to a window to order, then they gave you your food, and you took it to a picnic table or back to your car. And the menu was on a sign across the front and down the sides of the building.

I was a little concerned about wearing Biil dresses and eating in the car, so I said, “How about getting it to go and taking it back to the motel.”

“Works for me.”, Charlie said.

We decided what we wanted, and Charlie and I went to get it. As he and I walked up to the window, the guy behind the window said, “You two are sure dressed up.”

“Yeah.”, I said. “We were just at a funeral.”

“Oh. The Parker funeral?”

“Yes. It seems that everyone knows them.”

“You’re from out of town. Aren’t you?”

“We’re from Albuquerque.”

“Yes, everyone knows them. Rachel's dad is the mayor, and Tim's dad is a big wheel at Raytheon.”

“Raytheon!?”

“Yep. So, what’ll it be?”

We’d decided that we’d try Pat’s Family Special, that’s half a dozen chili dogs and a large order of french fries. So that’s what we ordered to go, along with four drinks. They quickly put it together, and Charlie and I carried it back to the car.

As we drove to the motel, I said, “We found out somethings about Tim and Rachel.”

“What’s that?”, Ajie asked.

“Rachel’s dad is the mayor of Tucson, and Tim’s dad works for Raytheon in upper management.”

“Wow!”, Jackie said. “They never told us.”

“I’m wondering, with the University of Arizona being here, why they came to New Mexico.”

“Maybe to get away.”

“Maybe.”

Once we were back at the motel, we took the food to to a table by the pool. Then Ajie and I went to our room, and quickly removed all the silver jewelry and changed out of the Biil dresses. And back into the long skirts and blouses. We then went back out to where Charlie and Jackie were by the pool, and we ate. These were great chili dogs. The chili had just the right amount of spices. And the french fries were fantastic and greasy.

As we ate, Charlie asked, “Kai, what is Raytheon?”

“They’re a major government contractor.”, I replied. “They specialize in electronic systems.”

“So, someplace for you.”

“No.”

“Why not.”

“Who am I. And what would a background check bring out.”

“Oh. Right.”

“Besides, I enjoy the university atmosphere in New Mexico, and I like doing research the way we do it. I’ve seen how Los Alamos works, and I figure a place like Raytheon works about the same way, and I don’t think I’d like that. I like more freedom in what I can do. Like being able to come here without jumping through a lot of hoops. And being close to my people.”

“Good points, Kai. Now don’t get mad at me. But, what you told Tim’s dad about how the fire started wasn’t right. Was it?”

“There’s nothing to get mad about, Charlie. What we’ve heard about the penny’s behind the fuses is hearsay. And the Fire Marshall’s Office is investigating it. Plus I’d hate to say something, and it be wrong.”

“You’re right, Kai. It’s better to say nothing than to say something, and it be wrong.”

Wednesday we had to be at the funeral home by nine-thirty, so we were up early, and dressed. Ajie and I were back into long fancy skirts, fancy blouses, wrap moccasins, and limited jewelry. Ajie went with a straight hair look, and I put my hair into two braids. We both went with the simple braided leather headbands. Ajie wore a pair of beaded earrings, and I wore the silver rounds and with gold feathers.

We checked out of the motel and stopped at a nice restaurant for breakfast. Then we headed for the funeral home and parked in the line of those going to the cemetery. We went inside, I was carrying the camera case, and we walked up to the casket. Ajie and I quietly said, “Hágoónee'. - (See you later.)” to Tim and Rachel. And I was surprised to hear Charlie and Jackie also say, “Hágoónee'.”

I saw Mrs. Parker, and we smiled at each other. It was a little smile, but it was a smile. Then the four of us found seats. And at about ten, the Priest came to the front and did a short service. Then the funeral director asked everyone going to the cemetery to go to their cars. So we joined a large group of people going to their cars. We heard them close a sliding wall to hide the caskets. Then I saw both families walk behind the sliding wall.

Along with everyone else, we walked to our car. We sat there and then saw them move the two caskets to the two hearses. I noticed the four police cars at the front of the line. The families came out and got into four limousines. It looked like there were thirty or so cars in front of us and probably the same number behind us.

We saw the police cars turn on their lights, and start out of the funeral home’s parking lot. They were followed by a car from the funeral home, then the two hearses, the limousines, and then all of the cars.

We followed the procession of cars through Tucson to the cemetery. I noticed that at the major intersections that there were police officers directing traffic.

We entered the cemetery and followed the hearses to the graveside where they parked side by side. After we’d parked, we walked, along with everyone else, up to where the hearses where.

We watched as the two caskets were removed from the hearses by the pallbearers. It appeared that all the pallbearers were Tim and Rachel’s age.

We then followed the caskets to the graveside. I saw Mrs. Parker looking around, and she finally saw us, and she motioned for us to come and join them. I whispered to Ajie, “Mrs. Parker wants us to join them.”

“Okay.”, Ajie whispered back. “But, let's include Charlie and Jackie.”

I whispered to Charlie and Jackie, “Come with us.”

The four of us worked our way to where the families were standing. When we got there, Mrs. Parker whispered, “Kai and Ajie, I felt good when I was with you last night. So I’d love it if you’d stand with me today.”

I whispered back, “We’d be happy to.”

Ajie and I were standing together with Charlie and Jackie right behind us. Mrs. Foster, Rachel's mother, was standing with her family next to Ajie and Mrs. Parker, Tim’s mother, was standing next to me with Tim’s family.

I could feel the grief of both families. And it was strong.

The Priest walked up to the two caskets and began his graveside service. And that lasted about ten minutes. When he finished, the mourners started walking back to their cars. The funeral director came up to Tim and Rachel’s parents and went to direct them towards the limousines.

Ajie and I walked away from them, and walked up to the caskets, each of us picked up a hand full of dirt and dropped it on Tim’s casket. Then we did the same to Rachel’s casket. Charlie and Jackie did the same thing.

When we turned around, we saw both families watching us. Then they started walking over, and each of them threw a hand full of dirt on the caskets. Both Mrs. Parker and Mrs. Foster then walked up to us, and Mrs. Foster, Rachel’s mother, said, “Miss Nez, would you come to lunch with us?”

I looked at the others, then back at Mrs. Foster, and said, “Mrs. Foster, you hardly know us, and that should be a time for family.”

“The two of us feel that by being here that you’ve helped us deal with the death of our children. And we’d like to thank you.”

“You have thanked us, Mrs. Foster. Just telling us that we’ve helped you is enough thanks for us. Go with your families and help them accept the deaths of Tim and Rachel. You need to be with your loved ones.”

Mrs. Parker, Tim’s mother, then said, “Miss Nez, you are special.”

“Mrs. Parker.”, I said. “We are all special. Go and be with your families. And remember. Forget not. Remember with a smile.”

The four of us all got hugs. Then Mrs. Parker said, “Tell the people at the University of New Mexico that we appreciate them sending you. And that they couldn’t have chosen anyone better than the four of you to send.”

“Yes, ma’am, thank you, and we’ll tell them.”

As Mrs. Parker and Mrs. Foster walked towards their families, Ajie, Charlie, Jackie, and I walked towards our car. We were one of the last cars to leave the cemetery.

The four of us didn’t talk, and I just drove around Tucson, and we even drove past the University of Arizona. Then I saw a sign for the Saguaro National Monument and drove in the direction that it was pointing. And we drove through the Monument. We stopped at one point and walked up to a Saguaro cactus, and Jackie said, “I can’t believe how big these are. I remember seeing them on the westerns that my brothers used to make me watch on TV. But seeing them in person really opens your eyes. I should have brought my camera.”

“That’s one of the reasons that I wanted to see them.”, I said. “I wanted to see if they were real and as big as they looked on TV.”

We drove around the Monument for a little while longer looking at some of these big cactuses, and then we found a place to eat lunch. After lunch, we drove to the airport, dropped off the car, and checked in at the airline. Later that day, as we were walking into the house, I said, “It sure feels good to be home.”

“We’ve only been gone one night.”, Amy said.

“I know. But it still feels good to be home.”

Jackie and Amy put together a nice Southwestern chicken salad with cilantro dressing for dinner. And Amy even made her sangria. Charlie and Jackie had ice tea, but Jackie did try a sip of the sangria and liked it. Plus eating out on the back courtyard was nice. But it showed us that we needed something like a coffee table in front of the two couches. I looked at Charlie and saw the wheels turning.

That night it was so good to be in the royal bed and to be cuddling up with Her Majesty the Queen.