The only good thing that happened on Sunday was when we ran into Dibe and her father at Mrs. Benallie shop just outside of Santa Fe.

Then in talking with Charlie and Jackie when we were back at the apartment, we found that Charlie had overheard some talk in the University's office about a grad assistant that was teaching and wasn’t who they pretended to be. I figured out that it was probably me.

On Monday after not sleeping all night, teaching my two classes, and taking a long nap, I had a meeting with a number of my friends and a lawyer, During that meeting, I found out that it was the University’s Board of Regents who I was going to have a problem with. But, we did come up with a plan to try and outwit them.

Tuesday was a lot better. A full nights sleep. I taught my classes. I stayed awake in my grad-level class. Amy got her New Mexico driver’s licenses, but I still have to take the tests on Friday to get mine. And, Dr. Joe and I made progress on the project.

I’m not going to bore you with what happened on Wednesday or Thursday. Somehow they turned out to be normal. Teaching, working on the project, and Amy working a shift in the ER. But, every day I looked for a letter from the Board of Regents, and nothing yet.

Friday was a little different. After we’d taught our classes and had lunch, we headed to the driver’s license testing place. I had spent a short time reading the booklet that they’d given me on New Mexico driving laws, which wasn’t much different than the booklet that I’d read to take Ohio’s driving test.

I took the written test, which they graded while you waited so that if you passed, you could take the driving test if you wanted to. I missed one question on the test, and of course, they don't tell you which one. Then I took the driving test.

The examiner appeared to be an Indian, and right off he questioned the Ohio plates on the car. I explained moving out here for our graduate degrees and deciding to live out here, and that I’d never had an Ohio drivers license like my cousin, but thought it would be a good idea to have one out here.

The test involved driving around the streets of Albuquerque for about ten minutes, as the examiner gave me directions. Turn right at the next intersection, turn left at the next intersection, etc. Then I had to parallel park, not my favorite thing. After I’d, somehow, successfully parallel parked the car, we sat there while the examiner filled out his paperwork. When he finished, he said, “Miss Nez, your driving test was very good for only having your learners permit for a short time.”

“I’ll be honest with you, sir.”, I said. “I’ve been driving out here since we came out in June.”

“Miss Nez it’s illegal to drive in New Mexico without a license, I should void your results.”

“It wasn’t in New Mexico. We’d go over to Window Rock, Arizona to visit my aunt and uncle, and my uncle knew that I wanted to get my license, so he’d take me out driving on the reservation.”

“That’s still illegal.”

“Yes, sir. I told him that. But, he said it was fine as long as I was with him.”

“Who’s your uncle?”

“I don’t want him getting in trouble.”

“He won’t.”

“Promise?”

“Yes, Miss Nez, I promise.”

“Gaagii Haskie.”

The examiner looked at me, and said, “Is that the Gaagii Haskie that I think it is?”

“I don’t know. Is it?”

“Did he just retire as the Chief of the Navajo Nation Police Department?”

“Ah. … Yeah.”

The examiner smiled for the first time as he said, “Tell that sání jay-sho (old buzzard) that Bidziil Biakeddy said hello. I worked for him until I retired and came here.”

“I’ll tell him. Biakeddy? You aren’t related to my Uncle Yiska Biakeddy. Are you?”

“I don’t know the name.”

“How about Ahiga Biakeddy?”

“No. That doesn’t sound familiar either. Why are you asking?”

“When I met Ahiga Biakeddy, who is my uncle’s cousin, he said that he has a lot of cousins.”

“There a lot of Navajos with the last name of Biakeddy and even with your last name Nez. … Wait a second. Nez. Kai Nez. I know that name.”

“Yeah. You probably do. I’ve been in the paper.”

“Yeah. There was something in the Navajo Times, something about a scholarship?”

“Yes. The Chief Nastas Todachine Memorial Scholarship.”

“That’s it. You and someone else started it.”

“My cousin Amy and I did.”

“My one grandson is studying hard. He wants to win one of those scholarships.”

“What’s he want to study?”

“Something that I don’t understand. Computers.”

“I studied computers in college as a secondary major, and it’s the field to go into. I hope he gets one of the scholarships.”

“There’s more than one?”

“Possibly.”

“Can I tell him that?”

“Just tell him that there will be more than one awarded this year.”

“Thank you, Miss Nez.”

“No, thank you.”

As he handed me some papers, he said, “Take these into the clerk. She’ll give you a copy, and you can drive on that copy until your permanent license comes in the mail in a week or two.”

“It’s been a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Biakeddy.", I said. “Hágoónee'.” (see you later).

“Hágoónee', Miss Nez.”

We got out of the car and walked into the office. Mr. Biakeddy took another test taker out for their driving test. And I walked over to Amy. As I walked up, she said, “You and the examiner sure had a nice chat.”

“He used to work for Uncle Gaagii at the police department.”

“I bet that you had to sweet talk him into passing you after he found out that you were related to Uncle Gaagii.”

“No. I passed without a problem. And, he told me to tell the sání jay-sho (old buzzard) hello from him.”

“Sání jay-sho!”, Amy said with a little laugh. “He must really know him.”

“I think he does.”

I walked up to the clerk and handed her my papers, she stamped it with something, gave me a copy, and told me that my permanent license would arrive in the mail. I folded up my copy and put it in my wallet.

As we left the driver’s license testing office and headed towards the University, I asked, “Honey, are you working this weekend?”

“No.”, Amy said. “Why?”

“I need to do some reading for both the classes I’m teaching and taking, and I want to start working on a mid-term exam for both classes. So I could use some quiet time.”

“I need to do some reading too.”

“I know the perfect place.”

“The wooded area at the pond by the remote hogan.”

“You read my mind.”

“Oh. We were going to take Jackie and Charlie to the resort this weekend.”

“You’re right. And we need to do that. See what you can work out with Jackie and Charlie. Then call Aunt Ruth and tell her what we’re doing.”

When we were at the University and Amy was dropping me off, there were too many people around for me to kiss Amy before I got out of the car, so I just said, “Ayóó anííníshní.” (I love you.)

Amy smiled, and said, “Ayóó anííníshní aldó’.” (I love you too.)

A few minutes later I was walking into the lab. Dr. Joe looked up at me, and he looked puzzled, and I asked, “What’s the matter, Dr. Joe?”

“Kai, come over here and have a look at this.”, Dr. Joe said.

I walked over and looked over his shoulder. He was looking at the bread-boarded circuit, and the meter was showing one of the outputs. I looked at what he was looking at, and said, “That doesn’t look right.”

“I know. It shouldn’t fluctuate that way. I came in earlier this morning and turned it on to let it run. When I left an hour ago, everything was fine. Just now when I came back, it was doing what it’s doing now. The input isn’t changing, but just that one output is fluctuating. The others are fine.”

“We may have missed something.”, I said. “Let’s sit down with the schematic, the breadboard circuit, and a meter, and go over everything.”

And that’s what we did, and we couldn’t spot anything.

I finally said, “We’re not getting anywhere except frustrated. Let’s call it a day. I’m going to take the schematic and other papers, find a quiet place, and go over it. And I’ll call you when and if I find something.”

“Okay by me.”, Dr. Joe said. “I have all the confidence in the world in you. I know that if there’s something to find that you’ll find it.”

“Don’t jinx me.”

Dr. Joe and I called it a day, and I took the schematic and other papers and headed to the apartment. As I walked in the door, Amy said, “Hi honey. I’m glad you’re home early. Go get changed, so that we can go.”

“Whoa.”, I said. “What’s going on?”

“We’re going up to the resort with Charlie and Jackie, spending the night, bringing Charlie and Jackie back here tomorrow morning, then going back to the resort.”

“What! That’s a lot of driving. And we both need quiet time.”

“But it’s the only thing that worked.”

“Why not just go up with Charlie and Jackie, come back here on Saturday, and stay here?”

“Your Aunt Ruth set up a meeting with a few people on Sunday.”

“For what?”

“Your … Our problem with the Board of Regents.”

“With who?”

“Your Uncle Gaagii, Aunt Ginny, Chief Kinlicheeny, Naainish, and maybe a few others.”

“The thing is, I need the quiet time even more now. We have a problem with the project, and I need some time to go over the circuit diagram with a fine tooth comb. Plus, I still need the time to do my class stuff.”

“Oh. Sorry about the project. Well, I guess we could tell Charlie and Jackie that it just won’t work.”

“That wouldn’t be fair to them.”

“I know. What if Jackie and Charlie stay the whole weekend?”

“They’d have to know that we would need some quiet time. And what about Aunt Ruth? What would she say?”

“She suggested it.”

“She did!?”

“Uh huh. Aunt Ruth was worried about all the driving. And us getting the quiet time that we needed. Plus what we’d promised Charlie and Jackie.”

“Why didn’t you just say so?”

“I wasn’t sure how you felt about spending that much time with them.”

“I like them. So a weekend with them would be fine. There are things for them to do while we do our thing. Call Aunt Ruth and tell her, while I go change.”

“Don’t need to.”

I just looked at Amy. Then she said, “Sorry, but I knew you want to do this.”

“Amy, what am I going to do with you.”

“Love me.”

“I already do.”

“I know.”

“Do Charlie and Jackie know about this?”

“Yes. They’ve never been on a vacation of any kind, even with their families, and of course no honeymoon. They’d be staying in the house with us. They’ll eat with us, either at the house or the restaurant. And they’d have use of the facilities.”

“Why?”

“I think that we’re rubbing off on your aunt and uncle.”

“Huh?”

“They’re seeing how we see people that need help in one way or another and help them. Like Dibe. Like helping Charlie get a job, and adding money to Jackie’s scholarship.”

“Really?”

“Yes. When your aunt and I were talking, I told her about their financial situation and lack of any travel. And she came up with the idea of them just spending the weekend.”

“What did Charlie and Jackie say about that?”

“At first they said that they couldn’t do it, that they couldn’t impose like that. I told them that they weren’t imposing and that we’d promised to take them up to look at the furniture this weekend. And, that you and I needed quiet time to work on class stuff, and that running back and forth would cut into that.

“I also told them that we’d have time to show them around the resort. And that they’d have time to do things and explore on their own.

“Of course they asked why we were doing this. I told them that we’d promised to take them up there, and we don’t break promises. And that we needed quiet time, and that we thought they might enjoy the resort for a couple of days while we did what we needed to do so that we weren’t running back and forth.

“Then Charlie said, that we were too much. But they’d do this. He also had some studying to do and could use some quiet time. Jackie then said, that she also had some studying to do.

“So then they agreed to go along.”

“That took some planning on your part.”, I said.

“Not really. Most of it was your aunt.”

It wasn’t much later that the four of us were heading north to the resort. Amy and Jackie chatted almost continually, and Charlie and I would talk about the changing view.

As we pulled into the resort, Jackie said, “Is this the resort that you’re always talking about?”

“Sure.”, Amy replied.

“This place is gorgeous.”

“Yes, it is. We love it here.”

“I can see why. And Kai’s aunt and uncle own this?”

“Oh, no. They run it for the owners.”

“Still they live here. That must be fantastic.”

“It is.”, I said. “But, there is a lot of work to keeping this place going.”

We pulled up to the house. When I got out of the car, I retrieved the camera bag out of the trunk and carried it as we walked into the house. We found my aunt in the kitchen working on a late dinner for all of us. The first thing I said was, “What can we do to help, Aunt Ruth.”

“Nothing right now, kids.”, my Aunt Ruth said. “But in a little bit, you can make the frybread.”

“Frybread tacos!?”

“Yes, and cinnamon crisps with a fruit salad for dessert.”

“Oh yum!”

“I’ve got to impress our guests.”

“Oh sorry, Aunt Ruth.”, I said. “This is Charlie and Jackie Hamilton our friends from the University. Charlie and Jackie this is my aunt, Mrs. Biakeddy.”

“Charlie and Jackie.”, my aunt said. “We’re all family here, call me Aunt Ruth.”

“Okay, Aunt Ruth.”, Jackie said. “It’s nice to meet you. But, where’s the little girl's room?”

“Ajie show her where the bathroom is.”

Ajie and Jackie ran off down the hall. Just then Uncle Paul walked in, and I introduced him and Charlie. When Amy and Jackie came back, Amy introduced her to Uncle Paul.

Then we helped Aunt Ruth make a frybread taco dinner. I taught Charlie how to make frybread. While Aunt Ruth, Jackie, and Ajie, put together the fixings. Then we sat down to a fabulous frybread taco dinner. And that was followed by the promised cinnamon crisps with fruit salad for dessert.

There was a lot of talk during dinner, more of Aunt Ruth finding out about Jackie and Charlie. Then we all, except Uncle Paul, helped clean up the dinner dishes.

The four of us brought in our suitcases, and we showed Jackie and Charlie to their bedroom. They were amazed that there was an en-suite bathroom. But they were more surprised when we told them that all three bedrooms had their own bathroom, plus the other one. We all grabbed jackets and started a tour of the resort.

We started at the hotel, and one of the girls was at the desk, and as we walked in, she said, “Good evening, Miss Kai. Miss Ajie.”

“Good evening, Maria.”, I replied.

Jackie said, “Amy, they know you by your native name here.”

“Yes.”, Amy said. “I’m usually dressed as a native when we’re here. So, everyone calls me Ajie Nez. The name Ajie was given to me by the Tribal elders.”

We walked over and showed them the display of my Grandfather Nez’s silver work. And they thought it was interesting and the silver pieces looked beautiful. Then Ajie took them over to the picture of the tree, and Charlie was the first one to figure out that the girl was me.

After we left the hotel, we walked around the resort pointing out various things including the thermal pools, and we told them about the different ones. Then we took them to the spa and told them about the massages. And, Jackie asked, “And we can use all of this?”

“Yes.”, Ajie said. “You are guests, so all the facilities are yours to enjoy.”

“I can’t believe this.”

“Believe it.”, I said. “And enjoy.”

We then hiked up the cliff trail. By the time we got to the top, the Sun had just set, but an almost full Moon provided plenty of light. We showed them the view and talked about all the stars you could see out here. Charlie said, “We’ve always lived in the city and never imagined that there were so many stars.”

“We hate living in the city.”, I said. “And, would love to move out where we could see the stars and be closer to nature.”

“Look!”, Ajie said pointing at the sky. “There’s a shooting star.”

We all looked and saw it. I noticed that Ajie touched her meteorite necklace. And Jackie noticed too, as she said, “Amy, is there something special about your necklace?”

Ajie looked at me. I just nodded yes. Then Ajie said, “In a way yes. Kai and I were hiking in the mountains north of here, and we found the stones. Our friend Naainish told us that they were special. So, we took them to a friend, who’s a silversmith, and he made these necklaces for us. The stones are meteorites.”

“They’re stunning.”

“Thanks.”

We then walked over to where the little tree is, and we told Jackie and Charlie the story of the little tree, from taking the pictures here with a dead tree and a thunderstorm close by, to the dead tree later being hit by lightning and destroyed, to us taking pieces of the tree home. Then planting one of the little pieces of the tree in my mother's flower garden under a full Moon figuring that it would never grow. But it sprouted and grew. And then bringing it back out here and planting it.

After I finished, Jackie asked, “Kai, are you special.”

Before I could answer, we hear some howling off in the distance, and Charlie said, “What’s that. Wolves?”

“No.”, I replied. “They’re coyotes talking.”

“They won’t come up here.”, Jackie asked. “Will they?”

“No, they try to avoid people. When you don’t hear them, there are probably wolves around.”

We walked back down the trail, and they had a bonfire burning. We walked over, and there were some guests there along with my uncle. My uncle asked, “Going to meditate, Kai?”

“Not tonight, Uncle Paul.”, I replied. “Probably tomorrow.”

“I’ll have the guys build a big one.”

“Don’t get carried away, Uncle Paul.”

With a smile, he said, “We’ll see.”

We watched the fire for a little while then walked over to the house. We took Jackie and Charlie out onto the patio. I started a small fire in the fire pit, and we sat there watching the fire and looking at the stars, and not talking.

Ajie has the uncanny ability to spot shooting stars, and tonight she saw two.

Finally, we talked about tomorrow, we told them to not worry about what time they got up, but that we’d be up early enough to watch the Sunrise from up on the cliff. Then we were going to go to a secluded spot to work on our class stuff, and that if we had time we take them there later. And, that my aunt would be here, and that they should go and enjoy the pools and spa, and that we should be back for lunch.

We stayed out on the patio for another half an hour or so, and then called it a night.