We had a serious talk with Vickie and Chief Tom about how to help Jackie and Charlie without them finding out. And some good ideas came to light.

Later we were going to hike the Armijo Trail, but we found that there had been a bear attack on the trail and the trail was closed. But, our friendly ranger, Ranger Carter, told us about another trail close by, so we hiked that trail.

Tuesday was our third wedding anniversary. We went out to dinner at the Pink Adobe Restaurant in Santa Fe, and we exchanged some adorable gifts.

On Wednesday Amy wasn’t teaching, but she was going into the Emergency Room and working three to eleven. I was teaching my nine and ten o’clock classes. When I got up, Amy didn’t even budge. I guess last night got to her, so I let her sleep, and I quietly took my clothes to the other bedroom to dress.

After a quick breakfast, I headed to the university and Amy was still asleep. After I taught my two classes, I headed back to the apartment, and Amy was up. She scolded me for not waking her up before I left. After I’d changed clothes, Amy and I had lunch together. Then I headed back to the university to work with Dr. Joe on the project.

When I returned to the apartment, I worked on my classes, both what I was teaching and what I was taking, had some dinner, and worked on my classes some more. A little before eleven I walked over to the hospital and walked back home with Amy.

I know, a little boring.

Thursday both Amy and I were teaching. That morning as Amy and I walked out of the apartment we ran into Charlie, and he seemed happy, as he said, “Kai. Amy. You’ll never guess what happened?”

“I don’t know, Charlie.”, I said. “But, I have a feeling that you’re going to tell us.”

“I got a student assistant job.”

“That’s wonderful. What are you doing.”

“Working in the universities maintenance shop. And I guess I’ll be doing anything that they want me to do. But, I’m starting today doing some carpentry work in the university’s offices. They’re doing some remodeling.”

“I’m happy for you.”, Amy said.

“Thanks. This will help us a lot.”

We continued our walk to the university, then Charlie went his way, and I finished walking Amy to her classroom. As we stood there, I said, “I’m going to have to thank Chief Tom.”

“Yes.”, Amy said. “And I’m going to stop and see Vickie and see if she found out anything about Jackie’s scholarship.”

“I hope that she was able to do something.”

“Me too. What do you want to do this weekend?”

“Not working in the ER?”

“Not so far.”

“Want to go and visit Aunt Ruth and Uncle Paul?”

“I’d love to.”

During dinner on Thursday night, Amy said, “I talked with Vickie about Jackie’s scholarship.”

“Oh. What did she say?, I asked.

“She spoke with the scholarship people, and Jackie and Charlie are from poor families, and that we could add to her scholarship if we wanted to. She also said that Jackie graduated from high school with a 3.95 average.”

“Almost as good as someone else I know. So we need to get a cashier's check?”

“Yep. And I’d like to get it to Vickie on Friday.”

“It’s too late to get it today. We could run over after lunch tomorrow.”

“What about the project?”

“I’ll just tell Dr. Joe that I’ll be a little late.”

“You should probably be Tom when we go to the bank. They don’t know Kai.”

“Yeah. I guess.”

After dinner, we went for a walk along the Rio Grande River. It as a nice slow walk, and we stopped at the bench across from the island. We sat and watched the water for a while. Finally, we saw a Bald Eagle circle overhead and then land in the dead tree on the island. A few minutes later the other one joined the first one. We sat there and looked at each other for a while. Then the two Bald Eagles took off, circled us again, and we saw a feather fall from each of them.

The feathers floated down, and it looked like both of them were going to fall into the river. We got up, ran to the river bank, and before the feathers reached the water we were able to grab them. I’m glad that we were both wearing our hiking boots and that the water wasn’t deep. Each of the feathers was about twelve inches long and pure white.

We looked at them for a minute, then I said, “They’re beautiful.”

“They are.”, Amy said. “And I just thought of the perfect place for them.”

“Where?”

“When I was pulling out our diplomas to show Charlie and Jackie, I ran across our certificates, yours from the Navajo Nation and the clan, and mine from the clan. And we need to put them up, and the white feathers would go nicely on your certificate of membership in the Nation.”

“No.”, I said. “I think we need to put one on your clan certificate, and one on mine.”

“You’re right.”, Amy said. “Where are we going to hang the certificates?”

“I think either on the wall going up the stairs or on the wall behind the television.”

“We’ll just have to see where they look the best.”

We started walking back to the parking area, and when we got there, a park ranger from the city was standing by his truck right at the trailhead. As we walked by him, I said, “Good evening, officer.”

“Good evening, ladies.”, the ranger said. “Ah … excuse me. Are those Eagle feathers?”

“Yes, we saw them fall from a pair of Bald Eagles that were on one of the islands.”

“I’m sorry, but I’ll have to confiscate them.”

“Excuse me?”

“It’s illegal for you to possess Eagle feathers.”

“Sir. I’m a member of the Navajo Nation, and it’s legal for us to own them. I also own two others.”

“We may have to confiscate them too.”, the ranger said.

“I think you’d better talk to whoever your boss is.”

“Why?”

“I think that you’re getting in over your head.”

“Is that so?”

I looked at his nameplate, and said, “Yes, Ranger Franklin. And, right now I’m requesting that you have your supervisor come here.”

“What are your names?”

“I’m Kai Nez, and this is my cousin Amy Young.”

He picked up his portable radio, and said, “2312 to 2303.”

We heard a reply of, “2303. What’s up Franklin?”

“I have two girls here with Bald Eagle feathers, and they say that they’re Indians and are allowed to have them. I’m trying to confiscate them, and they requested my supervisor.”

“Did you say, Bald Eagle feathers?”

“10-4.”

“Where are you?”

“At the river trail parking area off of Campbell.”

“I’ll be there in five. Do you have their names?”

“Yes, Amy Young and Kai Nez.”

“2302 to dispatch, I’ll be responding to 2313’s location.”

We heard a woman’s voice say, “10-4, 2302. And 2302 be advised if this is the Miss Nez that I think it is, she is a Navajo.”

“10-4, dispatch.”

I wondered if the dispatcher is a Navajo?

We just stood there waiting. And about five minutes later another ranger’s truck pulled in, parked, and a ranger got out of the truck. He walked over to us, and said, “Okay, Franklin, what’s going on?”

Ranger Franklin then said, “Lieutenant, I saw these two girls walk off the trail carrying feathers. I questioned them about it, and they came right out and said that they were Eagle feathers. I tried to confiscate them because it’s illegal to possess Eagle feathers. They said they could possess them because they're Indians and that they also had two others. I told them that we’d probably have to confiscate them too. At that point, they requested my supervisor.”

“Well, Franklin, if they are members of a Federally recognized Indian tribe they can possess the Eagle feathers. They are the only ones that legally can.”

“Oh. I didn’t know.”

“You learn something new every day.”, I said.

The Lieutenant looked at us, and said, “Ladies, I’m Lieutenant Zimmerman. And, you are?”

“I’m Kai Nez.”, I said. “And, this is my cousin Amy Young.”

“I take it that one of you is a member of a recognized Indian tribe?”

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

“And you have proof of this?”

“Yes, sir. Not with me, but in our apartment at the university.”

“Do you have any identification?”

“Yes, we have university ID cards.”

“Could I see them please?”

I dug my wallet out of my purse, removed my university ID and handed it to the Lieutenant. Amy did the same thing.

He looked at them, and as he handed them back, he said, “These look to be in order. And, Miss Nez you do look like a native. Now, where did you find the feathers?”

“They found us.”, I said. “We were sitting on a bench a mile or so upstream. A pair of Bald Eagles flew in and landed in a dead tree on the island across the river from the bench. We watched them for a while. Then they took off, circled over us a couple of times, and flew off upstream. As they were circling, they lost feathers from their tails. We watched them float down, and it looked like they were going in the river. We ran over to the shore and watched as they floated down. And we grabbed them just before they hit the water.”

“I see, it was like they dropped them for you. You do know that Bald Eagles are rare out here?”

“Yes, sir. We had two that visited us back home when we’d hike to a lake in a local park. They would land in a tree and visit with us. These two didn’t show up until we’d been here a couple of weeks, and they always seem to show up when we’re here.”

“Where’s back home?”, Lieutenant Zimmerman asked.

“Central Ohio.”, I replied.

“You don’t think that these are the same ones from Ohio. Do you?”

“I doubt it. That’s thirteen-hundred miles from here.”

“Bald Eagles are known to migrate a long way.”

“So, these could be the two from home.”

“Like you, I doubt it. But, then again you never know.”

“They seem to know when we’re here, and come to where we’re sitting.”

“That’s unusual. Did the two in Ohio do the same thing?”

“Yes. And just before we came out here, we were at the lake for the last time, and the Eagles visited us. And, usually, when they left us, they flew deeper into the park which was northeast. But, this last time they flew west.”

“That is strange. But, I’m also a naturalist, and I’m happy to hear that there is a pair of Bald Eagles in the area. And, you say that when they leave you here, they fly north?”

“Yes, it looks like the follow the river north.”

“There’s a set of small lakes up that way, and a little further up is a reservoir. And I’d bet that they’re going to the reservoir. I'd sure like to see them.”

“Well.”, I said. “We could let you know the next time we’re coming here, and you could go to the bench with us. But, no guarantee that they show up.”

“I’ll take the chance.”, Lieutenant Zimmerman said. Then he took a business card out of his pocket, and as he handed it to me, he said, “Call the office number on this card, tell them that you’re looking for me, and if I’m working hopefully I can meet you here.”

“Sounds good, Lieutenant Zimmerman.” Then with a smile, I added, “You might want to also bring Ranger Franklin with you.”

“We’ll see. If you don’t mind can we have your address so if anything does come up, we can contact you?”

We gave them our names, address, and phone number. Then the Lieutenant said, “Franklin, I feel that what Miss Nez has told us is the truth and that she is a Navajo. So, I feel that we can let them keep the feathers.”

“Thank you, Lieutenant Zimmerman.”, I said.

Ranger Franklin then said, “I’m sorry, Miss Nez. No hard feelings?”

“No hard feelings, Ranger Franklin. But, you may want to study the law a little bit more. Good night, gentlemen.”

“Good night Miss Nez. Miss Young.”, the Lieutenant said.

Friday Amy and I had our two classes to teach. Hers were at eight and nine, and mine were at nine and ten. After I walked Amy to her eight o’clock class, I walked over to Dr. Joe’s office and told him that Amy and I had some financial matters to take care of at the bank and that I might be a little late in meeting him at the lab. He understood.

I taught my two classes and headed to the apartment. Amy was there waiting for me. I went upstairs and found that Amy had laid some of Tom’s clothes out on the bed. It’s been a long time since I’ve been Tom, and as I put his clothes on it felt strange.

Amy had been standing there watching me change, and asked, “Are you okay?”

“I guess.”, I replied. “It just feels weird putting these clothes on again.”

“I know, honey. It’s only for a short time.”

“I know. Let’s get this over with as quickly as we can.”

As we drove over to the bank, I said, “You know. We should see if we can add Kai onto the account?”

“That’s a thought.”

“And there’s something else we need to find out.”

“What’s that?”, Amy asked.

“My Ohio drivers license expires on my next birthday.”, I said. “I think we need to find a way for Kai to get one.”

“Mine expires then too.”, Amy said.

“Yours will probably be easy. Mine won’t.”

“True. I just wonder … “

“Wonder what?”, I asked.

“If your Uncle Gaagii might have some ideas.”

We were quickly in and out of the bank. We came out with a check and information on how to add Kai to our accounts. We ran over to the nursing school and found Vickie in her office. When we walked in, she got a surprised look on her face, and said, “Tom! I’m surprised to see you.”

“Vickie, you’re surprised!”, I said. “You should be on this side. And to top it off I’ve got a girl’s spirit that isn’t happy.”

“So, why Tom?”

As I handed Vickie the check, I said, “We had to stop at the bank for this.”

Vickie took the check, looked at it, and said, “Oh! This will take care of the rest of the year and then some.”

“We thought we should put in a little extra.”

“You two are too much.”

“We’ve got to run. I’ve got to get over to the lab and Dr. Joe.”

“Vickie, I’ll talk to you later.”, Amy said. “By the way. We’re planning on going to the resort this weekend to relax. So, we won’t be around.”

“Go and have fun.”, Vickie said.

A short time later we were pulling into the garage at the apartment. As we got out of the car, we heard a voice say, “Hi you guys.”

We turned and looked, and it was Jackie. She looked at me, and asked, “Who … Who are you?”

I looked at Amy. Amy looked at Jackie, and said, “Jackie, meet Tom.”

Jackie’s eyes got big, and she stammered, “Tom … Tom. Like Tom in Kai’s Tom?”

“Yes.”

“Wow. I’d never think in a million years that you could be Kai. You two don’t look much alike.”

I smiled, and said, “Thanks, Jackie.”

“Why … Why are you, Tom?”

“We had some business to take care of, and Tom needed to be there. Come on in and talk to Amy. I’ve got to change and run over to the university.”

Jackie walked with us into the apartment, and I ran upstairs to change. The last thing I heard as I went upstairs was Jackie saying, “Tom is so handsome.”

I quickly changed back into Kai. Special panties, bra, forms, shorts, a plain blouse, and a pair of moccasins. I added a bracelet, a couple of rings, and put on the earrings that Amy had given me. Then I undid the man’s braid, brushed my hair, and put it into a girl’s ponytail. I slapped on a little makeup and ran back downstairs.

Amy and Jackie were sitting at the table having something to drink and talking. Jackie looked at me, and said, “You did that really quick.”

“Jackie.”, I said. “This is how I feel the best out here. My female spirit is happiest when I look this way.”

“It’s amazing you go from a good looking guy to a beautiful girl. And you did it in no time at all.”

I just smiled.

Then Amy said, “Honey, could you get the mail before you leave?”

As I headed for the front door, I said, “Sure.”

I went out the front door, grabbed the mail, and brought it back into the apartment. I stood by the table, and as I sorted the mail, I said, “Bill. Bill. A letter from my cousin Hok’ee. Bill. A letter from your mom.”

I handed the letter from her mom to Amy, and I opened mine from my cousin. And I said, “Hok’ee talked to his Sensei, and he got the names of two Senseis here in Albuquerque. And one is here at the university.”

“That great.”, Amy said. “Now we can get back into an organized class.”

With a puzzled look, Jackie asked, “Sensei. What’s a Sensei?”

“It’s a teacher. Usually a teacher of martial arts.”

“That’s right you two are into Karate.”

“Yes.”, I said, “Amy, what does your mom have to say.”

Amy opened her letter, and there was another letter inside, she looked at that, and said, “It’s from my cousin Rosemary in England. She says that she wrote the Wampanoag Indian Tribe and asked about membership. It looks like the information that Rosemary came up with on the family would allow her and I to join the tribe, and she has. She also enclosed a copy of the membership application for me.”

I saw a questioning look on Jackie’s face, and I said, “I’ve got to run. Jackie, Amy can fill you in on the Wampanoag thing.”

Without thinking, I kissed Amy and then ran out of the apartment and over to the university.

When I got to the lab, Dr. Joe was already there. He looked up, and said, “Good you’re here. All the supplies we need are here.”

“It’s about time.”

“The wheels of a university move slow.”

“I’ve been thinking about something.”, I said.

“What’s that?”

“In looking at the circuit that we’re working on, I think it’s only one small part of the whole.”

“What do you mean?”

“Look at the specifications. We know what type of things the input is and what we need to produce as the outputs.”

“True.”

“But what supplies the input and where do the outputs go?”

“Interesting thought, Dr. Kai.”

“Stop with the doctor stuff. I wonder what the total project is? How many pieces are there to the puzzle? And how many more people are working on this project for the Los Alamos National Laboratory? And the biggest question is, what is it for?”

“You’re sure full of a lot of questions.”

“Dr. Joe, I’ve always been that way. I grew up taking things apart to see what made them work. And most of the time, I could put them back together.”

“And, you probably got in hot water when you couldn’t.”

“You’d better believe it. And my dad put his foot down when I started taking the TV apart. But when I was old enough, I went to work for my uncle who runs an electronics repair shop.”

“So you’ve had a love of electronics for a long time?”

“Not just electronics, but also mechanical things.”

“I can believe that. And you know it’s still a bit strange talking with a girl about all this stuff.”

“Get used to it Dr. Joe. I’m here for the duration.”

Today we started doing a little more detailed schematic drawing of the circuit we had in mind. And we started building a breadboard of the circuit that we had in mind. We called it a day a little after six. I told Dr. Joe that Amy and I were going up to the resort on Saturday morning for the weekend and we agreed to get together on Monday afternoon.

I was back at the apartment at about six-thirty, and Amy had a nice dinner for us. And as we ate, she told me that Jackie had been full of questions after I’d left. Jackie had asked about Amy’s relationship to both the Navajo people and the Wampanoag Tribe. But she never mentioned anything about the kiss when I left to go to the lab.

Then Jackie had helped Amy put up the three certificates and something else that they’d found.

“Now what did you find?”, I asked.

“Do you remember the shadow box that you and your dad made for me?”, Amy replied.

“Of course. But I thought that you left that at home.”

“No. And isn’t this our home?”

“For now I guess. So where did you put them?”

“You walked right past them.”

“Oh?”

“Look at the steps.”, Amy replied.

They had mounted the three certificates on the wall going up the steps, and it looked nice. My membership certificate in the Navajo Nation was mounted towards the top of the steps. The two certificates of our membership in the Azee'tsoh dine'é, or The Big Medicine People clan, were mounted further down the steps. Amy and Jackie had attached the two white Eagle feathers to the picture frames of the two clan memberships.

Then I asked, “Where’s the shadow box?”

“Come with me.”, Amy said. And as she led me up to our bedroom, I took a closer look at the certificates. She led me into our bedroom, and the shadow box of our favorite bench at the lake back home was mounted above my chest of drawers.

As we looked at it, Amy said, “Jackie loves what we did with the bedroom. And she said that once they saved up some money that they could get a bed.”

I looked at Amy, and said, “They don’t have a bed?”

“No, they sleep on a mattress on the floor.”

“No way?”

“They do.”

I just shook my head.

We spent Friday evening sitting on the patio, enjoying the weather, and each other.

While we were sitting there, Amy said, “I read the requirements for membership in the Wampanoag Tribe, and I don’t think I’m going to join.”

“Why not?”, I asked.

“One of the requirements is that I have to give up the membership of any other tribe that you’re a member of.”

“But, your an honorary member of the clan, not the tribe.”

“I know. But, I bet that I’d have to give that up too. And, I don’t want to. You know I feel close to the people. Besides, it’s your tribe, and that’s important to me.”

I shook my head, and said, “Amylin, I love you.”

She smiled, “And, I love you.”

On Saturday morning we were up early, had breakfast, and were loading the things that we were taking with us into the car. I had just opened the door on the safe to take out the jewelry when the phone rang.

I heard Amy answer it, “Hello” … “Yes, this is Amy.” … “Oh my God! I’ll be there as soon as I can. Bye.”

As she hung up the phone, we looked at each other, and I asked, “What’s wrong!?”

“There was a bad accident on the Interstate about twenty miles west of here. It involved a tour bus and a tractor-trailer. They're flying a number of the injured here by helicopter and bringing others by ambulance. And they’re going to need all the help they can get, so they’re calling people in.”