Tuesday, we’d heard from Chief Clah, and the home visitation people from the Navajo Children and Family Services wanted to come on Friday afternoon.

Friday, afternoon we had our visitation. And I’d say that we’d passed with flying colors after explaining a few things to members of the visitation committee. Then it was off to the resort for the barbecue and to relax after today.

We’d just finished telling both sets of my aunts and uncles as well as Naainish about the home visitation that we’d just had from the Navajo Children and Family Services and how we felt about it. And now it was time for the barbecue.

So Ajie and I went back to our room to get ready for the barbecue. It wouldn’t take us long since we drove up in the clothes that we wanted to wear to the barbecue. I removed the single braid, a man’s braid, that my hair was in and put it into two braids. Then we added some of the usual silver jewelry, and we both chose the braided leather headbands with the Eagle feathers.

As we walked to the barbecue site, we, of course, ran into some of the guests heading the same way. Usually, you don’t see many children here, but we saw a couple with two young children. But I noticed that the two children, one boy, and one girl, kept looking at us. I’d smile at them every time that I saw them look.

As we got closer to the barbecue, we walked closer to the couple and two children. When we were close enough, the young girl looked at us and asked, “Are you Indians?”

“Yes, we are.”, I replied. “Are you enjoying your stay here?”

“Honey, don’t bother them.”, the mom said.

“They’re not bothering us.”, I said. “We enjoy talking with young people.”

“They’re just so curious.”

“As they should be. They’re seeing things that they’ve never seen before. Do you mind if we talk to them?”

“Of course not.”

I stooped down to the little girl and boy’s level and said, “Hi, my name’s Kai. What are your names?”

The little boy, who was younger than his sister, hid behind his mother, but the little girl smiled and said, “I’m April, and my little brother is Bobby. He’s shy. Kai. That’s a funny name.”

“It’s okay to be shy. I was shy when I was his age. Do you know that my name, Kai, means something.”

“It does. What’s it mean?”

“It means, willow tree. And my friend here, her name is Ajie, and that means my heart.”

“Does April mean anything?”

“I don’t know, April. But it must mean a lot to your parents because they gave it to you.”

“Oh.”, April said. “I think your feather is beautiful, and so are you.”

“Thank you.”, I said. “The feather is from a Bald Eagle.”

“Is that a big bird?”

“Yes, a very big bird. Have you ever seen one.”

April looked up at her mother and asked, “Mommy, have I seen an Eagle?”

“No, I don’t think so, honey.”, April’s mother said.

“Are there any cowboys here?”, April asked.

“No, honey. But there’s a lot of Indians.”, I replied.

“A lot!?”

“Yes. All the dancers are, and they’re fun to watch. And the musicians. And other people.”

“Mommy lets go and watch the dancers.”

“We will.”, her mother said.

“It’s been nice meeting you, April.” Then looking at Bobby peeking from behind his mother, I added, “And, you too, Bobby.”

As Bobby hid, even more, we heard, “Kai. Ajie.”

I looked, and it was Dibe, the girl that was given the first Chief Todachine Scholarship and who is a fantastic dancer, and she ran up and hugged Ajie and me after I stood up. Then I looked at April and said, “April, this is one of our friends, and she’s a dancer. Her name is Dibe, and that means lamb. Dibe, this is April and her little brother Bobby. And we’ve been telling her about the dancers.”

April looked at Dibe and said, “You’re as pretty as Kai, and I love your clothes.”

“Thank you, April. You need to come and watch me dance.”, Dibe said.

“Mommy, can we?”

“Of course, honey.”, April’s mom said.

“I have to go and dance right now.”, Dibe said. “I’ll be right over by the musicians. And Kai and Ajie, I’ll see you later.”

Ajie and I hugged Dibe, and she ran off. And as April tugged on her mother, her mother said to us, “Thank you so much for talking to her.”

“It was our pleasure.”, I said. “Enjoy the barbecue and the rest of your time here.”

“Thank you.”

April pulled her mother in the direction that Dibe had gone, and they were followed by her little brother, who was being carried by his father.

Ajie said, “I don’t believe that you were ever shy.”

“Believe it.”, I said. “But it was the Tommy me that was shy.”

“That I can believe.”

Ajie and I walked around, trying to see what special guests were here, and there were a few. We wandered over to where the dancers were, and we saw April trying to imitate what the dancers were doing. It was cute.

Then I saw Dibe walk over to April’s mother say something to her. Then April’s mother said something to April. And I saw April nod her head yes. Dibe then took April’s hand and led her to the dance area. Then Dibe picked up April and danced with her. Cute.

I finally saw my uncle give me the sign that the barbecue was ready, so Ajie and I headed to where the microphone is. As we walked up, my uncle handed me a list of special guests. There were only six, starting with Chief Kinlicheeny.

So with Ajie next to me, I picked up the microphone, signaled the musicians, and waited for them to finish. When they finished, I turned on the microphone, and Ajie and I together said, “Yá'át'ééh t'áá ájíltso. Nizhonigó íiná aadóó hozhónahasdlíí.”

Then I said, “Welcome. My name is Kai Nez, and this lady next to me is Ajie Nez. And for those of you that don’t speak Navajo, we just welcomed you with an old Navajo greeting, and it was, ‘Hello everyone. It is good, and all is harmony around us.’

“The staff of the resort and Ajie and I would like to welcome you to our regular Friday barbecue. The food is almost ready. But first, we have a few special guests that we’d like to recognize.”

I started with Chief Kinlicheeny and worked my way down the list. Finally, I brought Naainish up, and after he gave a prayer, I said, “Ladies and gentlemen, the food is ready. Enjoy!”

As Ajie and I were just finishing our meal with my aunts and uncles, Dibe walked up, and asked, “Kai, could I talk to you and Ajie?”

“Of course.”, I replied. “Sit with us.”

“No, could we do this in private.”

“Sure.”

Ajie and I got up and went with Dibe. We walked over to a group of flat rocks where we could sit. And as we sat, I asked, “Dibe, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong.”, Dibe said. “I just needed to talk to someone closer to my age.”

“I guess we’re close to your age. So, what’s going on.”

“You remember my boyfriend, Ata’halne?”

“You mean Hal.”, I said. “Of course, we remember him. Has he stopped confronting people as he did to us at the gathering?”

“Yes, you got through to him.”

“So what’s going on.”

“Well, I think you knew then that there was something between us when you met him at the gathering.”

“Yes, we did.”, I said.

“Well, he asked me to marry him.”, Dibe said.

“Did you say yes?”, Ajie asked.

“Of course I did.”, Dibe said.

“Congratulations, honey.”

“That’s wonderful.”, I said. “But I don't see a ring.”

As Dibe reached into the neck of her regalia and pulled out a fine chain that had a lovely engagement ring hanging from it, she said, “We’re trying to keep it quiet.”

“So mom and dad don’t know?”

“No, and neither do his.”

“How about your grandmother?”

“Are you kidding.”, Dibe said. “If she knew the whole Nation would.”

“Is that what you want to talk about?”

“Sort of.”

“What’s wrong?”, Ajie asked.

“I may have said yes too quickly.”

“Why. Don’t you want to marry Hal.”

“Oh yes, I want to marry him.”, Dibe said. “He’s special to me. I just don’t know if I should have said yes while I’m still pre-Med. I want to wait, and I don’t know if I can.”

“You’re asking the advice of two people who married between their freshman and sophomore years?”, Ajie said.

“Wow! I forgot about you two being married.”

“We made it work, but neither of us was pre-Med. What’s Hal studying?”

“He’s pre-Law.”, Dibe said.

“Now there’s a combination, a doctor and a lawyer.”, Ajie said.

“He’s going into business law. His father’s a lawyer.”

“How does Hal feel about you being a doctor?”, I asked.

“He’s wonderful about it.”, Dibe said. “He helps me study, and I help him.”

“That’s a good thing.”

“Does he know about your feelings?”

“Sort of. I was hesitant when I said yes. Hal asked me why I was hesitant. And I told him that I’d like to wait for all of this until I was out of pre-Med.”

“But you accepted his ring anyway.”

“Yeah. I love him so much. That I just had to say yes.”

“Dibe.”, Ajie asked. “Would it help if you and Hal sat down together with us and talked about this?”

“I think it would.”, Dibe said. “You’re not going to try and talk us out of this. Are you?”

“No, honey. We wouldn’t do that. We just want to see you do it the right way.”

“Oh, okay. When?”

“When can he come down to Albuquerque?”

“He’s coming for the last barbecue of the year and will be here next Wednesday.”

“Why don’t you plan on coming down on Thursday for lunch.”, Ajie said.

“I’ll talk to him about that.”, Dibe replied.

“Do you still have our phone number?”

“Of course.”

“Call us after you talk to Hal, and we’ll give you directions to the house.”

“I’ll do that.”, Ajie said. “And guys, you’re just the best.”

“Dibe, we just happen to like you a lot.”, I said.

As we got up off the rocks, Ajie and I received some hugs, then we walked back to the area of the barbecue.

As we walked up to my aunt and uncle, my aunt asked, “Are you going to meditate tonight?”

I looked at Ajie and said, “I don’t feel a need to. How about you?”

“I don’t either.”, Ajie replied.

“I guess we’ll wander around the bonfire and talk to the guests.”

We walked over to the where the bonfire was. It hadn't been lit yet, so we just walked around talking to the few guests that were already there. Then we saw the little girl, April, and her family. We walked over to them, and I asked April, “April, did you enjoy the barbecue?”

“Yes, it was yummy.”, April said. “But mommy made me go to our room so she could wash me. I made a mess.”

I smiled and said, “That’s okay. I get messy sometimes too.”

“I liked dancing with the other lady.”

“I know I saw you and you were having fun. Her name is Dibe.”

Then April’s mother asked, “We’ve heard that there a couple of girls that come and, I guess, it’s meditate at the fire. April heard us talking about them and wanted to see them. Do you know if they’ll be here?”

I looked at Ajie, then back at April’s mother, and said, “We’re here.”

“Oh! It’s you.”, April’s mother said.

“Yes.”

“Is this place special?”

“Yes, the native people consider the area of the thermal spring to be sacred. We believe that everything has a spirit, and we meditate to speak with the spirits of the pools and the fire.”

“Is it alright for us to be here.”

“Yes, we like it when the guests are here. It allows us to show them a part of our heritage.

“And if we’re going to do that, we need to go.” Then I looked at April and said, “April, if you have any questions, you can ask us when we finish. Okay?”

“Okay, Miss Kai.”, April said.

Ajie and I quickly found my uncle and told him that we were going to meditate after all. We then quickly ran to the house and grabbed a rug. When we were back, my uncle had us lite the bonfire. And once that was burning, Ajie and I went to where we like to sit. I spread out the rug, and we sat.

I looked over to where the guests were, and I saw April’s father holding her so she could see. Then I concentrated on the fire and heard Naainish start to chant. I quietly joined him, as did Ajie. After we finished the chant, Ajie and I sat at the fire for another minute or two, then we got up and walked over to the guests.

As we walked up, April ran over and said, “Miss Kai, did you talk to the spirits.”

I stooped down and said to April, “We don’t talk to them, we feel them. And the chants that the man was doing let the spirits know that we’re there for them. And Ajie and I felt the spirit of the fire tonight.

“Did you like what we did?”

“Oh, yes, Miss Kai.”, April said. “I’m so happy that I got to see you.”

“And I’m happy that you did, April.”

As I stood up, April’s mother said, “Thank you for being so nice to her.”

“She's very easy to be nice too.”

“We better get them off to bed. We told the kids that they could see this and then had to go straight to bed.”

I stooped back down, looked at April, and said, “April, listen to your mother and go straight to bed, and have sweet dreams.”

“I will, Miss Kai.”, April said as we hugged.

Ajie and I said goodnight to April and her family and walked over to my aunts and uncles. My Aunt Ginny said, “Kai, you are so cute with the kids.”

“Can’t help it, Aunt Ginny.”, I said. “Especially when they’re as cute as she is.”

As Ajie and I started walking back to the house, we ran into Charlie and Jackie, and there were hugs all around. We invited them back to my aunt and uncle's house. We got something to drink, then sat on the patio, talking and watching the stars.

Charlie and Jackie told us that working for my aunt and uncle this past summer was the best job that they’ve ever had. And that my uncle has already asked them to come back next summer.

Then we told them about our home visitation with the people from Navajo Children and Family Services over the adoption. And Jackie said, “Kai, we were watching you with that little girl tonight, and it was interesting.”

“Interesting?”, I asked.

“Yes, it was like you connected with her.”

Ajie then said, “Love, you are going to make a great parent.”

“You think?”, I replied.

“Uh-uh, I know so. You like little kids.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“I am.”

We had been out on the patio at my aunt and uncle’s house with Charlie and Jackie until late watching the stars, so we slept in on Saturday morning and missed the Sunrise. When we got up, my aunt fixed us an excellent breakfast.

After breakfast, we said so long to my aunts and uncles and told them that we planned to spend all of next weekend with them. On the way back to Albuquerque, as we'd planned to do, we stop at Mrs. Benallie's clothing shop in Santa Fe for what else, some clothes.

When we pulled up to the shop, there were several cars parked around the building, so she was busy. As we walked into the shop, we were right. There were maybe two dozen people in the shop. And yes, I was carrying the camera case.

Mrs. Benallie was behind the counter, ringing up sales, and there were a few other ladies helping customers.

Mrs. Benallie glanced at us as we walked in and started to say, “Welcome. Look around and … Kai! Ajie! Hello! It’s good to see you. I’ll be with you shortly.”

“Yá’át’ééh abiní – (Good morning), Mrs. Benallie.”, I said. “No rush. We’ll have a look around.”

And look around, we did. We picked up four skirts and six blouses. Then I found a pair of wrap moccasins that I liked, and Ajie found a pair of regular moccasins that she wanted. Then Ajie wandered away, and I saw her looking at clothes for little girls. I then saw Mrs. Benallie walk over to her. They talked for a few seconds, then hugged.

I walked over to them, Mrs. Benallie looked at me, smiled, and said, “I hear that there may be an adopted álchíní – (child) in your future.”

“Yes.”, I replied. “And it looks like Ajie is hoping that it’s a girl.”

“No, silly.”, Ajie said. “I’ll be happy with either.”

“But, there are more things that you can buy for a girl.”

“Of course, there is.”

“Anyway.”, Mrs. Benallie said. “Congratulations. And when it happens, please bring them to see me.”

“We will.”, I replied.

“Oh, are you going traditional.”

“Traditional?”

“Yes, if it’s a baby, are you going to use an awéétsáál – (cradleboard)?”

I looked at Ajie, then said, “We’ve never talked about that.”

“I think that you’ll find that in their first few months that the cradleboard will have a soothing effect on the baby. Let me show you one.”, Mrs. Benallie said.

Mrs. Benallie took us to a corner of her shop and showed us a couple of cradleboards. They appeared to be made out of pine and have buckskin lacing.

“If it’s a baby that we adopt we might have to consider something like this.”, Ajie said.

“You can also use them as a backpack to make it easier to carry the baby when you're shopping or whatever.”, Mrs. Benallie said.

“That could be useful.”, Ajie said.

As we were checking out, I asked, “Mrs. Benallie, does anyone repair moccasins?”

“Yes.”, Mrs. Benallie said. “Why?”

“I wear them most of the time, and I have a couple of pairs that the soles are wearing out.”, I said. “The concrete walks around the university are hard on them.”

“Yes, concrete would be hard on them. Bring them with you the next time you’re up this way, and I’ll see that the man gets them. And why not wear regular shoes on campus?”

“Everyone is used to seeing me dressed in moccasins. Besides, they’re comfortable.”

“That they are.”

We checked out, said hágoónee' - (see you later) to Mrs. Benallie, and headed home. No, we didn’t stop to see the Eagles. But we had something planned for after dinner. A walk along the river, and we were hoping that the Eagles would show up.

Back home and with the car unloaded, we took our new purchases into the master suite and the walk-in closet and hung them up. After we finished, I said, “There is still a lot of room in this closet.”

“I know.”, Ajie said. “We just aren’t people that need a lot of clothes.”

“Maybe we should move the safe into the back of the closet.”

“That’s a thought. But no. At least for now.”

I then went and pulled the control box for the loop detector that’s in the driveway. Took it to the workbench in the garage, and carefully mounted it in a good waterproof box, took it back outside, and remounted it to a more permanent mount. Then I had Ajie help me test it, and we were back in business. Now to mount the second chime in the master suite, maybe on Sunday.

Since the remount of the control box went so well, we decided to go for a walk along the river and then stop and have dinner at our favorite drive-in. So, we changed into our hiking clothes and headed for the river. As we parked, we noticed one of the park ranger trucks was there, but no ranger.

We started our walk upriver, and there were many others out enjoying the day. Our usual place to sit was occupied. So, we walked past it and to our second favorite place about two miles north of the parking area. And walked over to the bench and sat.

A minute later we heard someone walk up behind us, we turned and looked. Then I smiled, as I said, “Hello, Zimm. How are you?” 

Zimm is Lieutenant Zimmerman, and he’s an Albuquerque Park’s Ranger and a friend.

“I thought that was you two.”, Zimm said.

“How’s everything?”

“Good. How about you and the Eagles?”

“We’re good, and so are the Eagles. The three young ones aren’t around the nest site much.”

“That’s what should happen. Hey! We have company.”, and Zimm pointed across the river.

We looked to where Zimm was pointing, and an Eagle was just landing in the dead tree on the island. And not more than a few seconds later, a second Eagle landed in the tree.

Zimm then asked, “Do you mind if I join you?”

“Not at all., I said.

Zimm sat on the bench with us, and we watched the Eagles as they watched us. Then the Eagles took off, circled us twice, and we saw a feather fall from one of them. I got up, ran over to the river, and grabbed the feather before it landed in the water. It was a tail feather.

As I walked back to the bench, Zimm asked, “Is this how you got the other ones?”

“Just like this.”, I said. “And I wish I could give you this feather.”

“But you can’t. Besides, I think that it's meant for you.”

“I guess it is. We had an Eagle show up in our back yard. He was in a tree in the Cibola National Forest, which is right behind us. We couldn’t tell if it was one of the young Bald Eagles or a Golden Eagle.”

“They do look alike when the Bald Eagle is young. How far are you from the river?”, Zimm asked.

“About eight miles, and we back up on the national forest.”, I replied.

“There are some Golden Eagles in the mountains around there, and it might be one of their young. It’s a little far from water for a Bald Eagle, so I would guess it was a Golden. Have you seen him again?”

“No, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been there.”

“True. Let me know if you see him again.”

“Will do.”

The three of us walked back to the parking area, and when we were there, I carefully put the Eagle feather in the trunk. And Zimm said, “You treat those feathers with respect. Don’t you.”

“Of course.”, I said. “They’re a gift from the messenger between the Great Spirit and the People.”

“So I’ve heard.”

Ajie and I then drove over to our favorite drive-in. And yes, it was a double cheeseburger with pickles for me, and a single cheeseburger with everything for Ajie. We both had french fries and ginger ale milkshakes.

The carhop that took our order and delivered our food wasn’t our friendly carhop. But when we finished, he was the one that came to pick up the tray. As he did, he asked, “How do you two feel about this war?”

“We don’t like it at all.”, I replied.

“I didn’t think so.”

“Why?”

“I’m thinking of going to Canada to get away from it.”

“Don’t you have a deferment because you’re going to school?”

“Yeah. But I don’t like all the demonstrations. They’re just getting to be too much, and some have gotten violent.”

“I know. You can’t go anywhere on campus and not see a sign or some kind of demonstration or have a flier put on your car window. And it’s still summer. What will fall bring when everyone is back on campus?”

“That’s what worries me.”

“What about your classes?”

“There are universities in Canada.”

“True. When are you thinking of doing this?”

“A couple of my buddies and I are thinking of going before classes start here.”

“If you end up doing it. Good luck. And we’ll miss you.”

“Thanks. I knew I could talk to you two. Gotta run.”

Ajie hadn’t said anything, but she yelled after him, “Good luck.”

I looked at Ajie and said, “This could be hard on him. If he goes to Canada, the U.S. government will consider him a draft dodger, and he may never be able to come back here.”

“I know.”, Ajie said. “But, it’s what’s in your heart. And a lot of people are dead set against this war.”

“At least Johnson won’t be President again.”, I said.

“Yeah, and the riots at the Democratic Convention weren’t a good thing.”

“It’s going to be interesting to see who becomes President.”

When we were back home, I first took the Eagle feather out of the trunk and put it in the safe until I could figure out where to put it. But, the hogan came to mind. So maybe someplace in the hogan.

We didn’t need to spend Sunday cleaning the house since we’d had it spic and span for the home visitation. So, we did some grocery shopping. Then while Ajie worked on her textbook, I installed the chime in the master suite, and carefully recheck the installations of the two sensors. Then Ajie had me read the last three chapters of her textbook. She had done a fantastic job.

When I finished reading the three chapters, and as I handed them back to Ajie, I asked, “Is this it?”

“Yes.”, Ajie replied.

“Sweetheart, you’ve done a wonderful job.”

“Thank you.”

“We need to celebrate.”

“How?”

“I’m going back to the grocery store.”, I said. “And I’m going to pick out two good steaks, a couple of baked potatoes, some asparagus, and the fixings for sangria.”

Ajie smiled and said, “We already have the fixings for sangria. And why don’t you make those sweet potatoes.”

“Sweet potatoes it is. And you can make the sangria while I’m gone.”

“Could we put my textbook in the safe. I don’t want anything to happen to it.”

“You don’t need to ask. You know the combination to the safe, and you can put anything in it that you want to.”

“Come with me?”, Ajie said.

“Sure.”. I replied.

Ajie and I went to the bedroom that we’ve made into an office. She took a box out of the desk. Then took the lid off the box and took a stack of papers out of the box. She carefully looked at the last few pages of what she’d just taken out of the box. Then she added the last three chapters to the bottom of the stack of papers and put them back in the box.

I noticed that she’d changed the title page. Instead of Amylin Elizabeth Young, RN as the author, it now said Ajie Nez, RN.

We then carried the box of papers out to the garage. I opened the safe, and Ajie placed the box into the safe, then I closed and locked the door. And I said, “If you want to, we can take it into the university and make copies.”

“Okay.”

“Then, we can put the original in the fireproof file cabinet in my office.”

“We can do that?”

“Why not. It’s my office, and the only other person with access to it is Dr. Joe.”

“Could we get two copies made. I want to give one to Vickie to read.”

“Sure.”

As Ajie went back into the house, I jumped into my car and headed to the grocery store. I found two porterhouse steaks, two big sweet potatoes, and a nice bunch of asparagus. And I headed back to the house.

When I pulled into the garage, Ajie was standing by the door to the house, waiting for me. As I got out of the car, she said, “I love the sensors you put in. Now I can be here before you are.”

“No more sneaking out in the middle of the night for me.”, I said with a grin.

“You’d better not be sneaking out on me.”

I handed her the groceries and kissed her.

Then I took the groceries back, carried them into the house, and we put them away until later.

“I called Vickie while you were gone and told her that I had the textbook done.”, Ajie said. “She told me to come into her office, and that college would foot the bill for copying at the university’s print shop.”

“Would they do it while we waited?”, I asked.

“I don’t know. But I hope so. Because I’m not letting that out of my sight until the copies are made.”

“If I’d put as much work into it as you have, I wouldn’t let them out of my sight either.

“Also, I’d say if they wanted you to leave it while they copy it that we find someplace else to do it even if we have to pay for it.”

Ajie just nodded yes, then said, “I agree.”

I looked at Ajie and asked, “Ready for a steak?”

“Going to do it over a wood fire?”, she asked.

“Do you really have to ask?”

“No, but better safe than sorry.”

“I’ll get the grill set up, and you marinate the steaks.”

A little while later, we were sitting down to medium-rare steaks, sweet potatoes, and asparagus, with some of Ajie’s sangria to drink. It was a wonderful dinner, more so because I was sharing it with the woman I love.

That night my Queen was visited by her Prince.

Monday morning Ajie and I drove into the university together. Her textbook, still in the box, was in her briefcase. We walked into the College of Nursing and to the Dean’s office. The secretary looked at us and asked, “Can I help you?”

“Yes.”, Ajie said. “Would you please tell Dean Etsitty that Ajie Nez and Kai Nez are here.”

“Oh, yes, Miss Nez. The Dean is expecting you.”

The secretary picked up the phone, dialed, and said, “Dean Etsitty, Miss Nez is here.” … “Yes, I’ll tell her.”

As the secretary hung up, she said, “Miss Nez, go on back.”

Ajie and I walked back to Dean Etsitty's office. Ajie knocked on the door, and we heard, “Come in.”

We walked in, Vickie looked at us, smiled, and said, “So you have your book done?”

“I think so.”, Ajie said. “And I’d like to make two copies of it. One as a backup for me, and one for you to have to read.”

“Okay. Why don't you make three.”

“Why three?”

“Amy … Sorry, Ajie, if the rest of your book is as good as the first part, I’d like to, with your permission, send it to a publisher of medical books.”

“You’re kidding?”, Ajie said.

“No. I feel that it has definite possibilities.”, Vickie said. “And I’d like to get their opinion.”

Ajie looked at me. I shrugged my shoulders and said, “It’s your call.”

“I guess it couldn’t hurt.”

Vickie handed Ajie a paper and said, “This is an authorization for copying at the university print shop. Just go over there and tell them what you want, and bring two of the copies back here.”

We left Vickie’s office and went to the print shop, and they had time to do the copies while we waited. We were able to babysit the machine as it made the three copies. When we'd finished making the copies, Ajie signed for the copies, and we walked back over to the College of Nursing and Vickie’s office. As we walked in, the secretary looked up and said, “Let me call her, Miss Nez.”

The secretary called Vickie, and as she hung up, she told us to go on back. We walked back to Vickie’s office, knocked, and when we heard, come in, we walked in.

Ajie set two sets of copies on Vickie’s desk and said, “There you go.”

“Good. Now how was the home visitation thing?”

We told Vickie about the home visitation. And how I had to straighten out a couple of the members of the team. She asked how we felt about it, and we told her that we thought that it went well.

Then we walked over my office in the engineering building. Dr. Joe was there, and we had to tell him all about the home visitation. Then we told him about Ajie's textbook and that we were going to lock the original copy in the fireproof file cabinet.

After we finished with Ajie’s textbook, Dr. Joe said, “Kai, we have a meeting tomorrow with the people from Los Alamos tomorrow at one.”

“Where?”, I asked.”

“There.”

“Well, that messes up the whole day. Is the Dean going?”

“Do you really need to ask?”

“I guess not. So his office at eleven?”

“Unless you want to grab an early lunch.”

“A real early lunch. And he’s probably going to want to stop somewhere on the way back.”

“Of course.”

Ajie and I headed home, and as I drove, she asked, “You hate these meetings, don’t you?”

“I don’t hate them.”, I replied. “It’s the way they sometimes schedule them. It messes up the whole day. It takes two hours to get there and go through security. Then afterward, the Dean always wants to stop and eat.”

“You should leave early and stop for lunch before the meeting. Then come straight back.”

“That makes sense. So it’ll never happen.”

I then looked at the answering machine, and the light was blinking. I rewound the tape, pressed play, and heard, “Kai, it’s Dr. Joe. Change of plans. We’re leaving at ten, and stopping for lunch in Los Alamos. So be here before ten.”