Later that same day, when I was home, I was standing in the backyard. And again, there was a large bird in the tree that’s just over the property line in the Cibola National Forest. I was able to grab a few pictures of it.

I called my Aunt Ruth and found out that my Grandmother Devereux had an anglicized name. It was Hana. Ajie and I agreed that Hana went good with Haseya, which was my grandmother’s Navajo first name.

The next day, Thursday, Dr. Joe and I were happy with the tests we were running on the project for Los Alamos, so we decided to let it run for a few hours. Late that afternoon, we decided that it was working as it should, and we called Los Alamos. They’d be up at nine on Friday morning to pick it up.

Then, later that day at home, Ajie taught me how to make sangria.

At nine on Friday morning, Dr. Joe and I were meeting with Dean Rutherford, and Doctors Fontheim and Höllmann from the Los Alamos National Laboratory. After a short talk about the project, we talked about my problem with my project for my doctoral. I wondered how they’d found out about it? Dr. Joe.

We came up with the possibility of using one of the research projects that I had worked on for my project. Since it wasn’t secret, it might work. But even though we did the work for Los Alamos, the circuit belonged to N.A.S.A. – the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Would they agree to me using it?

Then Ajie and I helped Charlie and Jackie move back into their apartment for the school year. And we also talked them into spending the night in the hogan so that Jackie could try to get a good night's sleep, which the cast on her arm wasn’t helping with.

Saturday after we helped Charlie and Jackie set up their apartment, Ajie and I went back to Santa Fe to Mrs. Benallie’s shop to pick up my moccasins. Then we went into downtown Santa Fe and to Niyol Hatathli’s silversmith’s shop, and found that he had two pieces of my Grandfather Tse’s silver, but he wouldn’t part with them.

Sunday, being the last Sunday before classes started for fall quarter, Ajie and I did fun things. The first was a hike on the Crest, with a stop for a little enjoyment. We also talked about baby names. Then after lunch, there was a visit to the Eagles. Then I tried my hand at sangria again. And we did nothing more except to make some frybread tacos for dinner.

Monday, I was home by myself. Ajie was working eight to four at the hospital. But this gave me a chance to go over everything for the first week of class. I was teaching the same courses as last year, Electric Circuits, and Electronic Circuits and Systems. Plus, they’d given me two new classes one was Independent Study in Electrical Engineering, and the other was an Independent Study in Electrical Engineering Honors.

The two Independent Study classes didn’t have regular class meetings after the first one, which was a combined one. This class requires the student to pick a subject and do something with it. Like, write a paper. It’s like a pre-graduate level project, except they only have one quarter to do it.

The rest of the morning was taken up by some housework. Then after lunch, I ran to the grocery store and got us somethings for dinner, not salmon, and a good bottle of wine. In the afternoon, I caught up on some reading.

Then about four o’clock, knowing that Ajie would be home at about four-thirty, I started putting dinner together. I made a southwest chopped salad and did everything but put the vinaigrette on it. Then I put the baked potatoes in the oven. Got the prim ribs out of the refrigerator and seasoned them. Then I went out and laid a wood fire in the grill.

Of course, being near the gate to the backyard, I looked towards the tree where the Eagle had been. But no Eagle.

I heard the ding from the sensor in the driveway, and I knew Ajie was home. I walked to the door from the garage to the house and opened it just as Ajie pulled into the garage. I stood there and waited for her. She got out of the car, saw me, smiled, and walked over to me. There was a nice hug and kiss between us. And then I said, “Welcome home, sweetheart.”

“Thanks, lover.”, Ajie said.

“I’ve got dinner on.”

“What are we having?”

“It’s a surprise.”

“Do I have time for a shower.”

“Sure.”

Ajie ran to take a shower, and by the time she came out, I had the meat on the grill. When she finished her shower, she walked out into the courtyard and said, “Prime rib! What’s the occasion?”

“Classes start tomorrow.”, I said.

“That’s something to celebrate?”

“No, it’s like the last supper.”

“I see. Can I do anything?”

“The table’s set. You could get the wine and salad out of the refrigerator. And check on the baked potatoes.”

“Consider it done.”

“Oh, and there’s also vinaigrette for the salad.”

We sat down to a wonderful dinner if I do say so myself. When we finished, I said, “Go on out in the courtyard, and I’ll bring dessert out.”

“Dessert too!?”, Ajie said.

“Of course.”

A short time later, I brought out cinnamon crisps and fruit salad. Ajie looked at me and said, “You’ve been busy, my love.”

“I figured that you deserved a good dinner.”, I replied.

“But, you didn’t make your special.”

“My special?”

“Sangria.”

“No, this meal deserved a good wine.”

“And you picked a perfect one.”

Today was Tuesday, the first day of the fall quarter. I had two sections of Electric Circuits to teach one at eight and one at nine. And then, in the afternoon, I meet with the two levels of the Independent Study in Electrical Engineering class at the same time.

Ajie was teaching Nursing Fundamentals again this year, and her classes were on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. So today, she got to stay home. But I knew that she was still doing things for her doctoral degree.

After I’d dressed, and it wasn't in a suit or typical skirt and blouse, or even a garter belt, nylons, and low heeled shoes, but in a long native skirt, a fancy blouse, and moccasins. My hair was in a single braid with a simple braided leather headband. And my use of jewelry was subdued, only my meteorite necklace, one bracelet, two rings, and a pair of earrings. The earrings were the ones that my grandfather had made, the silver rounds with the gold feathers.

When I walked out into the house, Ajie saw me and said, “I hate you.”

“Hate me!”, I said. “Why?”

“You know. You get to wear comfortable clothes, and I’m stuck with skirt suits and other stuff. Plus, the nylons and the shoes with short heels.”

“It takes someone to break the ice.”

“I know, and I hope you do it.”

“So do I. I’d hate to go back to the other stuff.”

I got a kiss and a hug, and a “See you later.”, from Ajie as I walked out to the garage. I drove to the university, parked in the faculty parking lot, and headed to where my classroom is. It was the same classroom as last year. It was only seven-thirty, and like last year I wanted to check out the classroom.

There were some students and other faculty members on campus heading to their classes. And no one paid any particular attention to me.

I walked into my classroom, and the only thing that was different was that four televisions were now hanging from the ceiling. I checked the chalk, and there was plenty and two erasers.

Then I sat at the desk and waited for my students to show up. They, at first, slowly, sleepily, trickled in, but then they started to fill the room. Just before the bell was to ring, I got up and walked to the door. As the bell rang, I closed the door without getting run over this time, and then I walked to the front of the room, I picked up a piece of chalk and wrote, ‘Electric Circuits - Miss Nez’ on the blackboard.

Then I turned around and looked at the class and said, “Good morning, gentlemen. So that you’re sure that you’re in the right place, this is Electric Circuits. And I am Miss Nez, and I’ll be your instructor for the next two quarters.”

I heard the same murmur that I’d heard last year.

“Yes, gentlemen.”, I said. “I’m a woman, and I’m your instructor. I graduated Cum Laude from the Ohio State University with a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering with some computer courses thrown in for good measure. I am a full-time faculty member, and I’m working on my doctorate in electrical engineering. And I’m also a Research Associate.

“If you have problems in this class, please talk to me. I do have an office, but I don’t have regular office hours, but if you call the Engineering College’s office, the secretary there will know my schedule, and she’ll set up an appointment.”

“Any questions so far?”

A hand went up. I looked at him and said, “Yes.”

“Miss Nez, we’ve heard that you're tough.”

“I am, but I’m also fair. If you do the work here and in your lab, you have nothing to worry about.

“And speaking of the work, I also like to give pop-quizzes.”

There was another murmur.

“Also, there will also be a mid-term and a final. Your textbook will provide the base information, but the lectures will expand on that. And the tests will be based on both the book and the lectures. So good notes are important.

“Now, so I have an idea on your background in electronics, I have a short quiz for you.”

And there was a moan.

“Don’t worry. This one doesn’t count, but it will give me an idea where the class stands as a whole.”

Then as I walked up the aisle handing out the quiz, I said, “Be sure your name and section number is on the paper. This is section zero-zero-one.

“When you've finished the quiz, bring it down and place it on my desk, and then you’re excused. Be sure to read the first two chapters of the text before Thursday.

“And don’t forget to go to your lab.”

My nine o’clock class went just about the same way. When I say just about the same, it was the same except that I just didn’t say, good morning, gentlemen. I said, “Good morning, lady and gentlemen.”

Yes, there was a girl in this class. It was the girl, Miss Pratt, that had visited the university earlier with her parents, Colonel and Mrs. Pratt. The bad feelings that I had about the Colonel came back. I went on with my usual first-day spiel. Then I gave the quiz. As Miss Pratt came down to my desk to turn in her quiz, I said, “Miss Pratt. Could you stay till everyone else has left.”

“Yes, Miss Nez.”, Miss Pratt said. “Is there something wrong?”

“No, I just want to chat a bit.”

As Miss Pratt had been one of the last to finish the quiz, it wasn’t long until the room was empty. As the last student walked out of the room, I said, “I’m surprised to see you, Miss Pratt.”

“Why is that, Miss Nez?”, Miss Pratt asked.

“You only visited us a couple of weeks ago, and I’m surprised that you were enrolled so quickly.”

“My dad is the Vice Commander of the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center at Kirtland, and he pulled some strings.”

“I see. As I said, do the work, and you’ll do well in my class.”

But I was feeling something. She wasn’t happy with what was going on. Was she pushed into this?

“Is that all, Miss Nez?”, Miss Pratt asked. “I have another class.”

“Yes, I just want to say hello.”, I replied.

I watched as she walked out of the classroom and thought to myself, ‘This is going to be interesting.’

I picked up my things and walked over to the office, and Dr. Joe was there sitting at his desk. I walked over to the work table, dropped my briefcase, and flopped down in the chair. Then Dr. Joe said, “You don’t look happy.”

“Believe it or not.”, I replied. “I have a girl in my Electric Circuits class.”

“What’s wrong with that. Look at you. And besides, we knew it would happen at some point.”

“Yeah, look at me.”

“I know. You’re a guy. Which is hard to believe.”

“I know, having a girl in the electronics program is fine.”, I said. “Do you remember Miss Pratt that we met earlier this month?”

“Of course. She was here with her parents, and he was some kind of military officer. Don’t tell me that she’s the girl?”

“Okay, I won’t tell you that.”

“So, she’s the girl?”

“Yes.”

“Electric Circuits is a second-year class.”

“I know. I don’t know what level she is. When they were here, I thought that she was still in high school, maybe between her junior and senior years, and was just visiting universities to get an idea of what they were like. And she came right out and told me that her father, who is the Vice Commander of the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center, had pulled some strings to get her in here.”

“This is going to be interesting.”, Dr. Joe said.

“Why’s that?”, I asked.

“Watching you butt heads with the United States Air Force.”

“No butting heads. She gets the grade that she deserves.”

“So, how did you feel about her?”

“I felt that she wasn’t happy in that class. Like it wasn’t her choice. And I can see problems.”

“Like?”

“Like when she flunks my course that I’ll be seeing daddy again.”

“Forewarned is forearmed.”, Dr. Joe said.

“It is. But what do I do?”

“Kai. Just be yourself and do what’s right. And don’t worry about it.”

“We’ll see.”

As Dr. Joe tossed me a magazine, with a, “Here read this, and then we’ll get some lunch.”

I caught the magazine, and it was a new technical journal. But I set it down, and said, “Maybe later. I want to see something first.”

I picked up my briefcase, opened it, and took out the quizzes that I’d given my two classes. I looked for one quiz in particular, and I found it. I looked it over, shook my head, and looked at Dr. Joe, who was looking at me. And he asked, “Something wrong?”

“You could say that.”, I replied.

I got up and walked over to Dr. Joe. And, as I set the quiz on his desk, I said, “Look at this.”

Dr. Joe picked up the quiz, looked at it, looked at me, and said, “These are things that any second-year student should know.”

“Yeah. What do you think we should do?”

Dr. Joe checked the telephone directory, picked up the phone, and dialed. When the phone was answered, he said, “This is Dr. Joe Oshie from the Engineering College. Can you give me the status of a Miss Heather Pratt.” … “Yes, I’ll hold.” … “Yes.” … “A first-year student with no selected major. I see, who was the counselor that approved her courses.” … “I see. Is she in?” … “I would like to meet with her.” … “Good. We’ll be right there.”

Dr. Joe hung up the phone and said, “Kai, come with me and bring that quiz.”

A short time later, we were at the administrative building and the counselor's offices. We sat for a minute until we saw a woman walk out and speak to the secretary. The secretary point at us, and the woman walked over, we stood, and she said, “Dr. Oshie, I’m Mrs. Woodall. I understand there might be a problem.”

“Yes, Mrs. Woodall. This is Miss Kai Nez, one of our instructors, and we have a concern with a student.”

“Let’s go to my office.”

We followed Mrs. Woodall back to her office, and after we were there, we explained the problem that we were seeing. Mrs. Woodall made a call, and within a couple of minutes, the secretary came in with a folder. She looked at the folder a minute then asked, “Now, what’s the problem with Miss Pratt?”

I looked at Dr. Joe. He looked at me and said, “Go on, Kai.”

I asked, “Mrs. Woodall, why is a first-year student in the Electric Circuits class, which is a second-year class?”

“She is!?”

“Yes, and she doesn't have any idea what the subject is.”

“Are you sure?”, Mrs. Woodall asked.

I set the quiz in front of her and said, “Even most first-year students with a basic knowledge of electronics and any second-year electronic engineering student would know the answers to these five questions. And she didn’t know any of them. Plus, what she wrote at the bottom.”

“I see. Oh she wrote, ‘This is what you’re supposed to be teaching me.’”

“Yes, why was she scheduled for any second-year classes.”

Mrs. Woodall looked at the folder again, then said, “Oh, yes, I remember her. Her father pushed for her to be in certain classes, and that was one of them. I told them that they were second-year level classes and that she couldn’t take any of them. They said they understood, so we scheduled her for first-year courses, and they left.

“A short time later, I got a call from higher up and was give a revised list of classes for her.”

“Who’s the high up?”, I asked.

“Vice President Marshall.”

“Who’s he?”, I asked.

“She’s the Vice President of Student Affairs.”, Mrs. Woodall replied.

I looked at Dr. Joe and said, “I just know that the girl is going to flunk my course.”

“How can you be sure, Miss Nez?”, Mrs. Woodall asked.

“First, she doesn’t have the basic knowledge to take the class, and she’s quickly going to be lost. Second, she doesn’t have the want to really succeed in the field. It’s like she’s been pushed into it.

“I’ll keep teaching her, but I know when she flunks the course that I’ll be seeing her father again.”

“How do you know she doesn’t have the want to succeed?”

“I can just feel it. She’s bored with the whole thing. And I feel that she’s being pushed, and I don’t think she likes it.”

“Miss Nez, how can you feel something like that?”, Mrs. Woodall asked.

“Believe me, Mrs. Woodall.”, Dr. Joe said. “She can.”

“Do I have to go over this Vice President Marshall’s head to see that this girl is helped?”, I asked.

“Who would that be?”, Mrs. Woodall asked.

“If had to. It would be President Lingham or the Board of Regents.”

“Dr. Oshie, would she do that?”, Mrs. Woodall asked.

“Oh, yes.”, Dr. Joe said. “She’s done it before. And I know that she’ll do it again.”

“Miss Nez, are you sure of what you’re telling me?”

“Mrs. Woodall.”, I said. “If I weren’t completely sure, I wouldn’t be sitting here. This girl is being pushed to do something she doesn’t want to do. And it isn’t going to be a good thing when it goes wrong.

“Do you have any paperwork on her. Like her high school transcript or her SAT/ACT¹ scores?”

Mrs. Woodall looked through the folder again, and said, “No, they’re supposed to be on the way.”

“Aren’t you supposed to have those before someone is admitted to the university?”

“We are. But … ”

“A higher up?”

“Yes.”

I looked at Dr. Joe, and he said, “It’s your call, Kai.”

“Miss Nez.”, Mrs. Woodall said. “Would you let me look into this before you go any further?”

“How long?”, I asked.

“By the end of the week.”

“So, Dr. Oshie or I will hear from you by Friday?”, I asked.

“Yes.”

“Her next class with me is at nine on Thursday.”

“It may not be that quick. But I’ll try.”

“That’s all I ask.”

We gave Mrs. Woodall our extension number, said so long, and headed back to the office via the faculty dining room for lunch.

As we ate, I asked, “Dr. Joe, do you think Mrs. Woodall will come through?”

“For her sake.”, Dr. Joe replied. “I hope she does.”

“Why for her sake?”

“The wrath of Miss Nez. That’s something I don’t ever want to see again.”

I said, “You won’t.” As I thought, ‘At least I hope you won’t.’

We finished lunch, then headed back to the office. I picked up the handouts that I needed and headed for my next class.

As I walked into the classroom, a small classroom, there were a couple of students already there. I walked up to the desk at the front of the room and placed my briefcase on the desk. Then I opened my briefcase, took out the handouts, and set them on the desk. Then the briefcase went on the floor.

I looked at the students that were already here, and a couple of them looked familiar. They were in one of my Electronic Circuits and Systems classes last year. When the bell rang, I had twenty-eight students in the room.

I looked over the students and said, “Good afternoon, gentleman. And welcome to Independent Study in Electrical Engineering both the honors section and the regular section. My name is Miss Nez, and I will be your instructor, so to say, for this course. But I’ll be more like your proctor.

“Some of you had me for class last year, but for those of you that didn’t. I am a full-time faculty member and teach in the electrical engineering department. I’m also working on my doctorate. And I’m a Research Associate.

“Now, how many of you are in the honors section?”

Seven of them raised there hands, and they were already sitting together, so I didn't ask anyone to move.

“Okay thank you.”, I said. And they put their hands down.

Then as I handed out the handout, I said, “This handout spells out what is expected of you in this course. In simple words, it’s a course of study done by you without an instructor or help from an instructor.

“You will choose a subject and a problem that has to do with electrical engineering. You will research that subject and problem, gather data, and determine a conclusion. And then write a formal paper on it.

“I expect that those of you that are in the honor section to do more in-depth research and to write a more comprehensive paper.

“The paper will be due the week before finals week or sooner. You can turn it in to the secretary in the Engineering College’s office and if you do be sure and tell her it’s for me. Or I will be in my office, and it’s listed on the first page of the handout, on Friday, December the sixth from Noon until four.

“I do have an office, but not regular office hours. So if you need to talk to me, you can call the Engineering College’s office, and the secretary there will be able to set up a meeting time for us.

“After I grade your paper, I’ll place it in an envelope, and they will be put in your student mailbox late on the Monday of finals week.

“Any questions?”

One of them raised his hand, and I looked at him and said, “Yes.”

“Miss Nez, is there any minimum or maximum size to the paper that we are to write?” he asked.

“No.”, I replied. “As long as you explain the subject of your research, the problem that you found, how and what data you gathered, and how and what your conclusion is.

“If you can do it on one page. So be it.

“But don’t try to snow me with a very long paper. I’m a speed reader.”

Then I asked, “Any other questions?”

No one else raised a hand. So I said, “That’s all I have. Just remember that your papers are due the week before finals or before.”

And I dismissed the class and then headed home. As I got out of the car, Ajie was waiting for me, and I received a sweet kiss and a hug. Then she said, “We got the official letter from the Navajo Children and Family Services today accepting our adoption application.”

I smiled and said, “That’s wonderful.”

“They also sent along the information on the American Adoptions’ birth mother scholarship.”

“That’s good too.”

“It is.”

As we walked into the house, Ajie asked, “So how were your classes?”

“Two were normal, and one was interesting.”, I said.

“Come on, let’s sit in the courtyard, and you can tell me.”

We walked out into the back courtyard, and two glasses were sitting on one of the coffee tables. As we sat on the small couch, I said, “Looks like someone made sangria.”

“I did.”, Ajie said. “I figured that you’d like it after the first day of classes.”

“More like love it since you made it.”

“So, tell me about your interesting class.”

I took a sip of my sangria and said, “That's very good, sangria.”

“Thanks.”

“Do you remember me telling you about the girl that I met along with her parents, one of which was a Colonel in the Air Force, and it appeared that she had an interest in electrical engineering?”

“Yes.”

“Well, she’s in one of my classes in Electric Circuits.”

“Wasn’t she in high school?”

“That’s what we thought. We thought that they were just out visiting colleges, but it turns out that her father is the Vice Commander of the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center here at Kirtland Air Force Base. And he pulled strings to get her enrolled and in the electronic engineering program.

“I gave my first-day quiz to see where everyone was, and she couldn’t answer one question.

“I talked to her after class, and I got the feeling that she wasn’t happy with what was going on. It was like she was being forced to do this program when she wanted to do something else.”

“Isn’t that class of yours a second-year class?”

“Yes. And there was no way that she should have been in it.

“Dr. Joe and I talked about it, then we talked to her advisor and found out that one of the university’s vice-presidents had pull strings at the request of her father.”

“That’s not right!”

“It isn’t, and the advisor said that she was going to look into it.”

“Did you believe the advisor?”

“I had no reason not to believe her. I felt that she was telling Dr. Joe and me the truth. But, we’ll see what happens.”

It was Wednesday, and Ajie had the first meeting of her Nursing Fundamentals class, and I had the first meeting of my Electronic Circuits and Systems class. Plus, we both had graduate-level courses to take.

I’m glad to say that there were no surprises in any of my classes today. Ajie was working in the ER from Noon until eight. On my way home, I stopped and picked up the pictures of the bird that I’d taken. I stood there and looked at them, and they'd turned out very nice.

When I was back home, I graded all of my first-day quizzes. There were a couple that weren’t good, other than Miss Pratt’s quiz. Then I fixed us a late dinner.

When Ajie was home, she looked at the pictures and said that they were good. She then went into the office and got the booklet with birds of New Mexico in it, and we looked for the Golden Eagle. The booklet had pictures of the two adult Eagles, which are easy to tell apart because of the white head and tail feathers of the Bald Eagle. But there was nothing to distinguish the immature Bald Eagle from the Golden Eagle.

Ajie said, “We either need a better bird book or someone that knows the birds.”

“How about Lieutenant Zimmerman?”, I asked.

“He might be the best one.”

“I’ll call him after class tomorrow and see if we can meet with him.”

Thursday was another day of my teaching classes. Ajie was working eight to four in the ER. My first class was as typical as a class can be. There were some excellent questions asked, and hopefully, I answered them correctly.

My second class, the one with Miss Pratt in it, was also as typical as it could be. Except Miss Pratt was missing. In a way, I was worried, and in a way, I was relieved.

After class, as I was picking up my things, I heard a girl’s voice from the back of the room say, “Miss Nez.”

I looked up and saw Miss Pratt. And I said, “Yes, Miss Pratt?”

“Do you have time to talk?”

“Of course.”

“Where can we do that?”

“We’ll find a place. Just give me a minute.”

I finished picking up my things. Then I flung my purse over my shoulder, picked up my briefcase, and walked to the back of the room where Miss Pratt was. And I said, “What can I help with?”

“Can we go and sit somewhere?”, Miss Pratt asked.

We walked over to a lounge area near the elevators. There wasn’t anyone there, so we sat in a couple of chairs near the windows. Then Miss Pratt said, “Miss Nez, thank you.”

“For what, Miss Pratt?”, I asked.

“For going to my advisor and sharing your concerns about me with her.”

“So, you and Mrs. Woodall had a meeting?”

“Yes, for the past two hours.”

“She told me about you and this Dr. Osborn coming to her with your concerns about me.”

“That’s Dr. Oshie. And we did that out of concern for your choice of study. I felt that you were well outside of your comfort zone.”

“I was Miss Nez. I told Mrs. Woodall that I didn’t want to an electrical engineer.”

“Why did you do it then?", I asked. But I think I know the answer.

“This is hard to talk about, Miss Nez. But I spoke with Mrs. Woodall about it, and she suggested that I talk with you too.

“I’m an only child. My dad wanted a boy, and my mother couldn’t have another child after I was born. My dad treated me more like a son than a daughter. And he’s been pushing me to follow in his footsteps. He has an engineering degree, and he wanted me to go to the Air Force Academy, but they don’t accept girls.

“Then he somehow heard about you being here and teaching in the electrical engineering department. And once we met you and since he’s stationed close by, he wanted me to go here.

“He used his position to get me into the electrical engineering program. And I think you know the rest.”

“I do.”, I said. “So, what did you and Mrs. Woodall do?”

“We completely rearranged my classes just to be General College classes until I figure out what I want to do.”

“That’ a good start. What about your father?”

“That’s what I’ll have to face tonight.”

“How old are you?”

“I’m eighteen.”

“So, you’re of legal age.”

“Yes, but he’s paying for all this.”

“There are scholarships and grants available.”

“I know. But I may be out on the street after I tell him. I’ve never stood up to him before, and it scares the hell out of me.”

I leaned over, reached my hands out to her, and she took them. Then I looked her in the eyes, and I said, “Heather, you are a woman. You are strong. You need to do what you want to do with your life.

“Your father, at first, may be angry, but he will see that his daughter has a mind of her own. And that she will do well in whatever she tries to do.”

Heather didn’t say anything for a minute, then she said, “Miss Nez, thank you. I feel better having talked to you.”

“I’m glad.”, I said. “I hate seeing someone put in your position.”

“It’s been hard growing up with him. He can be a wonderful father but at times … ”

“I bet he is a wonderful father most of the time. Tell me, have you thought of what you want to do?”

“Kind of.”, Heather said. “I have an older cousin, and she’s a nurse. And I just love the things she tells me about helping people.”

I smiled and said, “I know someone that you might like to talk to.”

“Who’s that?”

“I have a cousin that is also a nurse.”

“Oh. Where?”

“Right here on campus. She’s a nurse in the emergency room of the university’s hospital. She’s also a part-time instructor in the College of Nursing and is working on her doctoral degree.

“And I’ll tell you something that she’ll probably never tell you. When she graduated from nursing school at the Ohio State University, it was Summa Cum Laude.”

“And she’ll talk to me?”

“She’s nicer than I am.”

I looked at the clock and asked, “Heather, do you have anything to do right now?”

“No.”, Heather said. “All the changes that we did won’t take effect until tomorrow.”

As I stood, I said, “Good. Come with me.”

Heather followed me to the office, and as we walked in, I said, “Heather Pratt meet Dr. Oshie. Dr. Oshie, Heather Pratt.”

They exchanged greetings while I grabbed the phone, dialed the hospital, and asked for the emergency room. When someone in the ER answered, I asked for Ajie. When she answered, I said, “Ajie, it’s Kai, and I have a favor to ask.”

Ajie said, “So, ask.”

“Can you take an early lunch?”

“Probably. Why?”

“I have a girl with me that would like to talk to you about nursing.”

“Who?”

“Heather Pratt.”

“Isn’t that the girl that’s in one of your classed.”

“That’s was in one of my classes.”

“Oh?”

“Long story.”

“Hold on. Let me check on lunch.” … “Okay. I’ll be in the cafeteria in ten minutes.”

“Okay. We’re on our way. Bye.”

As I hung up the phone, Dr. Joe asked, “What is going on?”

“I’ll tell you later. Come on, Heather.”

Heather and I walked over to the hospital and the cafeteria. Ajie had just walked in, and I said, “Ajie, this is Heather Pratt. Heather, this is my cousin Ajie Nez. I’ll let you two talk, I’ve got to run.”

“To where?”, Ajie asked.

“I’ve got to call Lieutenant Zimmerman.”

I turned around and headed out of the cafeteria and back to the office. As I walked into the office, Dr. Joe, said, “Miss Nez, sit!”

As I sat, Dr. Joe said, “Now. What was that all about.”

I told him about the last hour or so, and when I finished, Dr. Joe said, “Well, I guess Mrs. Woodall did what she said she was going to do. And then Dr. Nez took over.”

“Could be.”, I said. “I just hope that Miss Pratt’s dad doesn’t go overboard.”

I opened my purse and dug into where I keep business cards and found Lieutenant Zimmerman’s card. I got up, walked over to the desk, and called the number on the business card. When the phone was answered, I asked if Lieutenant Zimmerman was in, he was, and they transferred me to him.

When Lieutenant Zimmerman answered the phone, I said, Hello, Zimm. It’s Kai Nez, how are you?”

“Kai.”, Zimm said. “I’m fine. How are you?”

“I’m good. Do you have a minute?”

“Sure.”

“Remember that large bird that landed in the tree at the back of our property?”

“Of course.”, Zimm said. “Did you see him again?”

“Yes.”, I replied. “And I was able to take some pictures.”

“I’d love to see them.”

“Are you going to be in your office for a while?”

“For at least two hours.”

“I’ll be right over.”

“Good. Do you know where were are?”

“Yes, sir. I’ll see you in a few. Hágoónee'. - (see you later.)”

As I hung up the phone, Dr. Joe said, “You’ve got pictures of the bird?”

“Yes.”, I replied.

“Can I see them?”

As I took the pictures out of my purse, I said, “Of course.”

I handed the pictures to Dr. Joe. He looked through them and said, “That is a big bird.”

“That he is. There isn’t much difference between an immature Bald Eagle and a Golden Eagle. I’m hoping that Zimm can tell us which this is.”

Dr. Joe handed the pictures back to me. I put them back in my purse and said, “See you tomorrow, Dr. Joe.”

“Hágoónee', Dr. Kai. - (See you later, Dr. Kai.)”

“Enough of the Dr. Kai already.”

Dr. Joe just smiled.

Fifteen minutes later, I was walking into the Albuquerque Park Department’s offices. The receptionist asked, “Can I help you?”

“Yes.”, I said. “I’m Kai Nez. Lieutenant Zimmerman is expecting me.”

“Oh yes, Miss Nez, he is. Have a seat, and I’ll let him know that you’re here.”

The receptionist made a call, and a minute later, Zimm walked into the reception area. We greeted each other, and then I walked with him back to his office. I sat in a chair in front of his desk, and he sat behind it. I took the pictures out of my purse and handed them to him.

Zimm spread the pictures out on his desk and carefully looked at them. Then he got out a magnifying glass and looked at the pictures over again. Then he said, “It’s a Golden Eagle.”

“What gave it away?”, I asked.

He handed me the magnifying glass and one of the pictures, and said, “Look at his legs.”

I looked at them and said, “What am I looking for.”

“Think about what your Bald Eagles look like. What’s different between them and this bird.”

“I’m not sure. But this bird has feathers on his legs.”

“Right. Now, what about the Bald Eagles?”

“Their legs are orange, and there are no feathers.”

“Right. That’s one sure way to tell the difference between a Golden Eagle and a Bald Eagle. Until the Bald Eagle matures.”

“So, our friend is a Golden Eagle.”

“He’s probably out exploring the area, and that appears to be the tallest tree in the area.”

“It is, and it’s right on the edge of the National Forest.”

“It’s good to know that their around. And looking at the whole country, the Golden Eagles are rarer than the Bald Eagle.”

“That’s good to know.”

Zimm and I talked for a few minutes, then we said hágoónee' - (see you later) to each other, and he walked me out. And I headed home.

I was home about two hours before Ajie and had a nice dinner ready for her. She grabbed a shower, then as we ate, I told her what Lieutenant Zimmerman had told me about our friendly bird. That it was a Golden Eagle, and I told her how Zim knew.

Then Ajie asked, “How do you feel about Miss Pratt?”

“I think she was sincere in what she told us.”, I replied. “And I feel that she isn’t sure what she wants to do. Why?”

“Well, in talking to her, she has a real interest in nursing. So I sent her over to see Vickie. I told her to tell Vickie that I sent her and that I’d like her to take the aptitude test for nurses.”

“Can they do that on short notice?”

“Yes, there’s a preliminary one that’s good. It takes about an hour and a half to complete. And can be quickly graded.”

“Did you tell Heater that Vickie is the Dean.”, I asked.

“Yes, I couldn’t be that mean and not warn her.”, Ajie replied. “And I told her to call her Dean Etsitty.”

Later Ajie and I were cuddled together in the courtyard, watching the stars start to appear when the phone rang. I answered it, “Hello.” … “Oh, hi, Vickie. Yes, she is.”

I handed the phone to Ajie, and she said, “Hi Vickie.” … “Yes, her father pulled some strings and got her into the electrical engineering program and into one of Kai’s classes.” … “I see. That’s interesting. So she’s going to take the other test tomorrow?” … “Good. It’ll be interesting to see how she does on that one.

“No, not yet. It’s too early to get excited about the twins yet.” … “If everything works out as it should, we won’t have them until late November or early December.” … “Yeah. I don’t think we’ll be going home for Christmas. Maybe we’ll have everyone out here.” … “I know. Talk about a house full, especially with the two newborns.”

“We could do that.” … “Saturday at six.” … “Sure, we'll see you then. Hágoónee'. - (see you later).”

Ajie handed me the phone to hang up, which I did. Then I asked, “So what did Vickie have to say?”

“The Pratt girl did well on the aptitude test, and they graded it while she waited. And now Vickie wants her to take one of the better aptitude tests tomorrow.”, Ajie replied.

“Hmm. Maybe a new nursing student?”

“Could be.”

“What’s this about not going home for Christmas?”, I asked.

“Would you want to fly or even drive home with two babies that are less than a month old?”, Ajie asked.

“Mmm. No.”

“Me, either.”

“So, we may need to have everyone out here.”

“That could be fun.”

“Yes, it could.”, I said. “And maybe we should plant that seed when we talk to our parents this Sunday.”

“Good thought.”

“Now, what’s this about Saturday?”, I asked.

“Not this Saturday but next Saturday we’re going over to Tom and Vickie’s for dinner.”, Ajie replied.

“That sounds like fun.”

Friday was the last day of the first week of classes. Ajie and I were both teaching in the morning and then going home. Once we’d had lunch, we took a walk along the river to see if the Eagles would show up, and they did. We sat there for a long time visiting with them, which is unusual since they usually stay a few minutes. After they headed north, we headed south.