Crossing paths with my mom was a bit of a surprise, but some subconscious part of me had been expecting it since that encounter with N'atapwe. And even though the old shaman had tried to tell me in her own oblique way, I was not prepared for my mom to not recognize her own child.

Still, as I reflected on our 'first day', I couldn't help but think that she was far more open with me as a stranger, than she ever would have been as her child. I had to concede that again, N'atapwe's words held more weight and power than I could have imagined.

If Lorraine needed to think of me as Olive, the exotic (really just deeply tanned) coworker who reminded her so much of her younger self, rather than her own pale, diminutive, buzzcut military school brat, I could live with that. The misconception had actually brought us closer, and I could offer insights and observations as a “stranger” that I could never proffer as her child.

The 'momentary setback' became an extended break. I had my waitress job, Rain and Saffron actually became a bit of a hit with the locals who got over initial misgivings about the 'band of hippies' and grew amused by their quirky innocence. The jewelry and leathercraft business found a bit of success among the truckers and farmers, who were less in the market for handcrafted trinkets than the charming antics of these free spirited kids.

It seemed like the most barren of places, yet we began to plant roots. The most surprising development of all was when Max found a job.

He was hitchhiking along the road from Needles to Barstow to meet up with Rain, when he came across a couple of distraught young coeds in a broken down bus, not unlike our own.

“What are you girls doing out in the middle of nowhere with a monstrosity like this?” He asked. Not really trying to chat up the two college girls, but because for better or worse, Max had no filter, and the thoughts in his brain just spilled out of his mouth. “Where's everyone else? It can't be just the two of you in this whale of a thing. That's an awful waste of space.”

“Oh, no. There's no wasted space. It's jam packed. This is our bookmobile. We're library science majors, and our summer internship is spreading the classics to folks who are too far out to have a nearby library.”

“Bringing the Bard to Barstow... Nietsche to Needles. How far out.”

“Pretty far. Maybe too far.”

“No, I mean far out spreading the wisdom of the ages to the people.”

“No, I mean it. We're TOO far out! Our bookmobile broke down and we're so far out we don't even know where we are!”

“Somewhere between Needles and Barstow. I'd call someone, but I'm trying to hitch a ride myself. There are plenty of truckstops and freight depots in Barstow, I'm sure the place has plenty of people who could help. If you could get there. Meanwhile, mind if I take a look? I know more than I want to about cranky old beasts like this.” as he patted the fender affectionately.

“Knock yourself out. You already helped us by mentioning hitchhiking to Barstow. We'll try to get help there. When we get back and on the road, we'll give you a lift back into town.”

“Good luck with that” Max said dismissively. “No one stops on this road. They all drive by so fast that even if they wanted to stop, they'd be miles down the road before they could. When you give up, I'll be here, trying to get this old whale going”

The two girls waved goodbye and headed for the shoulder. Within 10 minutes they were in an air conditioned Kenworth on their way to Barstow.

It didn't take them too long to find a mechanic willing to come to the rescue of two stranded college girls, but as they were getting into the tow truck ready to go retrieve their crippled bookmobile, they were stunned to see it pull into the truckstop with Max waving out the window.

“It was just a clogged fuel filter. Happens all the time in these old wrecks.” he shouted over the roar of the engine. “First thing I checked. Easiest fix.” he smiled.

Suddenly the two girls were a lot more impressed by this disheveled young man with the unruly shock of sandy brown dandelion hair. He may be a flake, and possibly a stoner, but he was also an able mechanic and seemed to know a thing or two about literature.

So before you could say 'Power to the people' Max was the unofficial driver/mechanic of the San Bernadino incorporated library district bookmobile along with his new literary friends Sharon and Chloe. They had no authority to pay him, but he never asked for money. He was happy driving the bookmobile, arguing with the girls about literature, politics and philosophy, and talking about books with the folks wherever the bookmobile stopped. Sharon & Chloe shared their meal allowance with him and proved stimulating company. Intellectually anyway. Max still was no casanova, but he seemed to find he missed the intellectual stimulation he left behind when he dropped out of college. Shari & Chloe rekindled that spark, and I could tell it was only a matter of time before Max had a bookbag slung over his shoulder again on the way to his next class.

I was talking with Lorraine about Max one day at the diner.

“That's a real great thing. ….college...” she blew out a breath of air and shook her head. “Why would anyone who had a chance think twice about quitting such a thing?”

“Well, maybe it's easy to take it for granted ...or maybe even resent it if that's what's expected of you?”

“Damn. I'd snap at the chance to go to college. Fool kids don't know what they're pissin' away.”

“Well, there's always community college...” I suggested. “It's really affordable and you could get an associates... think of it like priming a pump. If you like it, you could go to a state university. California makes it really affordable for residents.”

“Ha” she coughed. “Something tells me I'd have to finish High School first...”

If she saw my jaw drop, Lorraine had the good grace not to mention it.

“I did tell you how old I was when I had 'Joe Junior'” she glanced at me with an expression I couldn't read. “And I mentioned how awful the kids were to me at the reservation school. And how I just left and no one seemed to care?”

How could I have missed this? Mom didn't get past her sophomore year of high school. I fought to regain my composure.

“Wow. I never really did the math. Your really did lose your best years Lorraine. But you've got plenty of great ones ahead of you” I tried to bolster her spirits ...and mine.

“You really think?” she said with heartwrenching, naked honesty.

“Absolutely!” I lied. I scrambled to come up with something to rationalize my insanely optimistic claim.

“So, you need to finish high school before you can start college. No big deal. I bet Shari and Chloe from Max's bookmobile can help you find out how to get your G.E.D.”

“G.E.D?” Lorraine looked at me blankly

“Yeah, It's kind of like the equivalent of a high school diploma for people who never got to finish high school... for whatever reason” Though I imagined a great many were reasons like her own... parenthood came unexpectedly early.

”They have such a thing? And I might be able to get one?”

“Not might. WILL. If you commit yourself to it.”

“Hell yeah! I thought that door was closed.”

“Things are not always as black and white ...or in this case, as open or closed - as they seem” I smiled.

“Thanks hon. I'd kinda given up on myself. Figured I blew my last chance... until I bumped into you. OK. I take it back. You're nothing like I was at your age.”

“Not true.” I said as supportively as I could. “We have a LOT in common” (More than you can ever imagine.) “We're both finding out who we are and becoming who we can be. We just have to be patient and take it one step at a time.”

“You mean one day at a time” she laughed. “...Which reminds me.... I'm late for a meeting”

The diner was normally closed on Sundays, but on the evening of the third Sunday in July it was the site of a very special private party, as were countless homes and venues across the globe.

Jackson, an old friend of Roy's, let him borrow a 'giant' screen 21-inch television from his TV and appliance store to host a 'moon party' at the diner. The TV was black and white, but they were saying that the actual transmission from the moon would be black and white anyway, so no one made a fuss about not seeing Walter Cronkite or Jules Bergman or Chet Huntley in color.

Like so many people, we watched in silence and held our breath as 2 human beings came within seconds of running out of gas and crashing where they could never be rescued, and instead successfully landed for the first time on another heavenly body.

Even Max - who had spent the entire night telling anyone who would listen how Nixon had blackmailed the guy who made 2001 to fake the whole thing for TV so he could steal the NASA money and spend it on war – was duly respectful during those final minutes of the most riveting live TV any of us would see for the next 32 years. There were whoops and hollers and tears and prayers, and we all nodded in agreement with the guy from Mission Control who confirmed the moon landing by letting the crew know “we're breathing again”. We were all crying and hugging, and after finding and embracing my busmates, my mom and Daisy, I went to look for Roy but he was nowhere to be found. The breeze from the back door was my clue. I found him out back leaning against his pickup and just staring at the stars. He was Lorraine's godfather, so I felt like he was kind of a surrogate grandfather to me, I think he got that vibe off me too, and liked it. Though his mind would be blown if he had any idea of our actual connection.

“What'cha thinking about?” I asked as I sidled up next to him.

He still just stared at the sky. “Did you know that when I was born, the Wright Brothers were still just bike mechanics?”

I did the math in my head and could only respond with “Wow"

He shook his head and laughed a little. “Yeah. Wow.”

We just leaned there... staring at the sky.

“The things I've seen. Airplanes, cars replacing horses, the 'War to end all Wars' and then the more terrible one after that, radio and television and A-bombs and H-bombs, and now men walking on the moon....”

“Would you have imagined any of it when you were a kid?” I asked.

He shook his head. “Sure we had Jules Verne and such, and figured some wonders were ahead. Our folks grew up before telephones and electricity and ether in hospitals, so we expected we'd see some things.... but never so much in our own lifetimes. I can't imagine what wonders ...and horrors... you will witness by the time you're my age”

“If we don't blow up the planet first” I laughed.

“You don't really believe that do you?” he looked down at me with an uncertain smile on his face.

“No. I still believe responsible, sensible people outnumber the crazies by a wide margin. What does Nixon call them? 'The Silent Majority'?”

Roy laughed. “If tricky Dick's bragging about them, no wonder they're silent!”

We both laughed.

I got serious for a moment. “I can't imagine what I'll live to see.... good or bad... but I look forward to it all, because it's such an adventure.... I intend to embrace the good and endure the bad, and make the most of my time on this rock.” Then looking back at the stars “...or any other rock I find myself on”

Roy gave me a gentle squeeze and a warm smile and guided me to walk with him back into the diner. “They should be ready fot the moonwalk soon. We should get back inside. ….by the way, thanks for being so good with Lorraine.... for being such a ….”

“Friend?”

“No. More than that....”

“Analyst? Therapist? Sounding board? Confessor?....” I smiled.

He laughed and shook his head. “Yes, all those. ...But no... “ he furrowed his brow and scrunched up his face “....Role Model?”

I was gobsmacked. I was NOT expecting that. All I could do was stare at him with disbelief.

“No. Really. I think that's the best word for it. I haven't seen her this positive... this ...focused since.... “ He looked at me and his face got all funny again. “Probably since she was your age.”

I just continued staring at him. Utterly at a loss for how to respond.

“One day, the spark just went out of her. We kept hoping, but finally resigned ourselves to the idea that it was gone for good. I guess we never figured on you coming into her life. ….into our lives.” and he pulled me in tighter to his side as we walked back indoors.

Much as it was awkward and agonizing to go through, looking back, I wouldn't have it any other way. N'atapwe was right. I'd quickly learn she was always right, but I would only understand how when I reflected back on events in my life. I also knew that this chapter was ending, and wondered with nervous anticipation – and a touch of dread – what new adventure was next.

It truly was a team effort, but between Saffron and Rain selling their handcrafted jewelery – and picking up money from teaching crafts to local children - although I always suspected it was really more babysitting than mentoring, and Max actually earning money once Chloe & Shari realized their bosses actually expected the bookmobile to break down frequently and had a line item in their budget for repairs, They would get inflated repair estimates from local shops, get the funds from their bosses, and have Max do the actual repairs, splitting the estimated repair reimbursements between the three of them.

Between those sources and the $1 an hour I was making working under the table as 'Juanita' We said our goodbyes in preparation for the next leg of our journey,