I had determined that the current project that I was working on for the Los Alamos National Laboratory was a military one. I’d quickly put an end to that. But because of what our people from Los Alamos told me, I had agreed that I’d still be willing to do research for them.

When Charlie and Jackie had told my Uncle Paul that they might not be able to work for him next summer because of Jackie’s clinicals, he'd told them that if what Ajie had proposed wouldn’t work that they could come up after she finished her clinicals. So now they have two options.

Right after breakfast on Thursday morning, my aunt and uncle had left for the gathering. And Charlie, Jackie, Ajie, and I waited on Chief Tom and Vickie, and Dr. Joe and Mary to show up. As we waited, we cleaned the kitchen and got dressed.

Unlike last year Charlie had the pair of white linen pants, a bright red shirt, a red headscarf, and a pair of moccasins that he’d worn when he needed to when he worked at the resort last summer. So, he didn’t have to borrow anything from Uncle Paul.

Jackie was wearing a long fancy skirt, a fancy blouse, and a pair of Aunt Ruth’s wrap moccasins. Ajie had loaned her some jewelry, a Concho belt, earrings, a ring, a bracelet, and a braided leather headband.

Last year I’d worn the white Biil dress and Ajie had worn the black Biil dress. This year I was wearing the black one, and Ajie was wearing the white one. Of course, Bill dresses call for Concho belts, and we both wore them, along with various rings and bracelets. Ajie wore the five bracelets that we’d purchased from Mr. Yazzie. We both wore chokers made by my grandfathers. And the matching feather earrings.

And, we both wore the special rings that Mr. Yazzie had made and snuck into our goodie bag that time that we’d driven back to Ohio from New Mexico. Also, we wore the rings that we'd been given at Mr. Yazzie’s funeral. It made me feel good to wear these rings. It brought back fond memories.

Our headdresses were in their special case, and we wouldn’t put them on until we were at the gathering.

We didn’t have long to wait for Chief Tom and Vickie, and Dr. Joe and Mary to show up. We heard a knock on the front door. No one uses the front door. I walked over to the door, and opened it, and said, “Yá’át’ééh abiní. – (Good morning.)”

“Yá’át’ééh abiní.”, Chief Tom said.

As they walked into the house, I noticed that Chief Tom was dressed as my uncle and Charlie were dressed. White linen pants, a bright red shirt, a red headband, and a pair of moccasins. But the redhead band was fancy and had a feather. Vickie was in a long fancy skirt, a fancy blouse, moccasins, and had on a fancy beaded headband.

Dr. Joe and Mary were a surprise. So I asked, “Is this Ojibwa fancy dress?”

“It is.”, Dr. Joe said. “We had it sent from back home when we knew that we were going to the gathering.”

“Very nice.”

What stood out to me was Mary’s dress. It was black with what looked like a lot of hand-sewn beadwork. And I said, “Meegwun – (Mary), I just love your dress.”

“Thanks, Kai.”, Meegwun said. “It belonged to my grandmother.”

We walked into the house, and everyone greeted each other. Then Dr. Joe said, “Kai, can Chief Tom and Vickie ride back here with you from the gathering?”

“Sure. Why?”

“Mary and I are heading back right after lunch to rescue the baby sitter from Mark.”

“Didn’t you drive up together?”

“No, separately. They’re spending the night here, and their car is outside.”

I looked at Chief Tom and said, “You’re spending the night here?”

“Yes.”, Chief Tom said. “We wanted to stay at the gathering till late, so we made a reservation at the hotel for tonight.”

“We would have liked to do that too.”, Dr. Joe said. “But we need to get back for the little guy.”

“I understand, Dr. Joe.”, I said. “And, I guess we’ll shortly be facing that too.”

“Yes, you will.”

“What’s the name and phone number of your baby sitter?”

“Why?”

“We’ll need one sooner or later.”, I said.

“I’m not going to let you steal our babysitter.”, Dr. Joe replied.

“Would I do that?”

“In a heartbeat.”

“Okay, you two.”, Ajie said. “Enough. We’d better get going, or we’ll miss the opening.”

I whispered to Ajie, “Do we have any silver that we could loan to Vickie?”

Ajie looked at Vickie and nodded yes. Then she walked over to Vickie, took her hand, and said, “Come with me.”

Ajie led Vickie back to the bedrooms. And when they came back, Vickie was sporting a Concho belt, a choker, a bracelet, and two rings. I looked at her and said, “That’s better for a Chief’s wife.”

We all walked outside, I locked up the house, and we piled into two cars and headed north to Taos.

And just like last year, when we pulled into the high school parking lot, there were a lot of cars and pickup trucks. We were able to find two spots side by side to park. As we got out of the car, I went to the trunk, retrieved the case with the headdresses in it, set the case on the trunk lid, and opened it.

Dr. Joe’s wife, Mary, was the first to see the headdresses, and she said, “Wow. Those are fantastic.”

“Thank you. “, I said. “We had them made last year and added another feather this year.”

Chief Tom was the next to see them, and he asked, “Those are Eagle feathers. Aren’t they?”

“Yes, two of them are from our friendly Eagles. And the other two we found at the summit Mt. Taylor.”

“That’s Tsoodzil. Isn’t it?”

“Yes, the blue sacred mountain.”

Ajie and I helped each other put on our headdresses. Vickie looked at us and said, “Those headdresses are wonderful.”

“Thanks, Vickie.”, Ajie said. “Kai and I like to dress up when we get a chance.”

“You sure do.”

Then we walked to the high school building, and as we walked into the building, there was a registration table where they took your name and your clan name. If you were a member of a clan entry is free, the clan picked up the fee. If you were not a member of a clan, they collect a five dollar fee to cover the cost of food, which was served free.

Chief Tom and Vickie were the first ones of our group there, and the woman asked his name, and Chief Tom said, “I’m Chief Tahoma Etsitty of the Azee'tsoh dine'é dóone’é – (The Big Medicine People) clan.”

She wrote down his information, and someone else put a wrist band on Chief Tom. Something new this year. Vickie was next, and she said, “I’m Sialea-lea Etsitty. Also of the Azee'tsoh dine'é dóone’é clan.”

I smiled at Vickie used the Navajo name, Sialea-lea – (Little Bluebird), that we’d given her.

Then Sialea-lea got a wrist band.

Ajie was next in line, and she said, “I’m Ajie Nez, and I’m also a member of the Azee'tsoh dine'é dóone’é clan.”, and they put a wrist band on her.

I was next, and I said, “I’m Kai Nez, also of the Azee'tsoh dine'é dóone’é clan.”

Like last year the woman looked up from the ledger that she was writing in, and I smiled at her. Then she said, “Miss Nez, I’m glad to see you again.”

“Thank you. The four people behind me are my friends, and they are not members of a clan. And I’m paying their fee.”

Dr. Joe had heard me and said, “Kai! No!”

I turned, looked at Dr. Joe, and said, “You’re my guests.”

Charlie said, “Dr. Joe, don’t argue with her.”

As they put my wrist band on, the woman asked, “What are their names?”

“Charlie and Jackie Hamilton. And Kah-Ge-Ga-Gah-Bowh - (Dr. Joe) Oshie and Meegwun - (Mary) Oshie of the Ojibwa tribe.”

She looked at Dr. Joe, gave him a pad and pen, and asked, “Could you write your names down for me?”

Dr. Joe took the pad and pen, wrote down their names, and handed it back to the woman. She thanked him. And everyone got wrist bands. I gave the woman twenty dollars, and the woman said, “Thank you, Miss Nez.”

We walked over to the gym, and like last year there were a lot of people there. I thought, ‘They need a bigger place to hold this.’

Vickie said, “I can’t believe some of the regalia that I’m seeing.”

“Everyone dresses up for this, and the dancers always have amazing regalia.”, Ajie replied.

I looked around, trying to find my aunt and uncle, and I couldn’t spot them. Then I said, “Let’s find seats. It’s almost time for the opening.”

We found a place for the eight of us to sit together in the grandstands. It wasn’t much later that we heard the drummers and singers start. And we watched as a group of men brought the Eagle Staff and flags into the gym. They were followed by some of the tribal elders, who were followed by the dancers. And the dancers were showing off their dance moves and regalia. They made a slow loop around the gym floor.

Ajie pointed and said, “There’s Dibe Bylilly.”

I looked to where she was pointing, and I saw Dibe dancing with her fiance Hal. And Dibe looked fantastic. And I said, “Hal will have problems keeping up with Dibe.”

As they finished the loop of the floor, they carried the Eagle Staff, the American flag, and the Navajo Nation flag to the announcers stand, and they placed all three in stands. Then Chief Kinlicheeny gave a short speech, and a medicine man who I’d never seen gave an opening prayer. Then Chief Kinlicheeny said, “I now proclaim this gathering open.”

With that, the drummers and singers started, and the dancers started doing their thing. This wasn’t a dance competition, but I knew that there would be a lot of dancing.

We sat in the stands for a little while enjoying the dancers. Then Ajie said, “Does anyone want to go see what the vendors have to offer?”

We all agreed that we did, so we worked our way out of the stands and into the hallway of the high school. Then we wandered the halls and went into the various classrooms that were set up with various vendors. And there were a lot of nice things.

We found Mrs. Cyl, the weaver that had made our Biil dress, and her daughter and mother. We said hello to them and thanked Mrs. Cyl’s mother for adding the Eagle feathers to out headdresses. Both Vickie and Mary found headbands that they liked and bought them.

A little while later, we found a basket weaver that was demonstrating the art of basket making, and we watcher her for a few minutes. Then Ajie found a basket that she thought would go well in the kitchen, and we bought that.

Then we found the silversmith from Santa Fe, Niyol Hatathli. He saw us and said, “Yá’át’ééh – (It is good), Kai dóó Ajie.” 

“Yá’át’ééh, Mr. Hatathli.”, I replied.

“I see that you’re both wearing some nice silver.”

“Thank you. Most of it is my grandfather's work, and a few pieces are Mr. Yazzie's work.”

“Are you wearing the ring we traded for?”

“No, sir. That is in a safe place.”

Both Vickie and Mary looked over Mr. Hatathli's jewelry. And I told them what a maker’s mark was and where to look for it, and I showed them what Mr. Hatathli’s maker’s mark looked like. Before we left Mr. Hatathli’s stall, both Vickie and Mary had bought something and elected to wear what they’d bought.

We wandered in and out of a few more classrooms, and then we found Mrs. Tsosie of The Rug House. And she was happy to see us. We all spent some time looking at the rugs and blankets that she had. And she had a lot of things.

When she saw us, she said, “Yá'át'ééh t'áá ájíltso. Nizhonigó íiná aadóó hozhónahasdlíí. -(Hello everyone. It is good, and all is harmony around us.)”

I returned a “Yá’át’ééh, Asdza´a´ Tsosie. - (It is good, Mrs. Tsosie.)”

Then Ajie asked her, “Do you have any of your christening blankets with you?”

“I brought four with me, and I’ve already sold three. So I don’t have a good selection here. But I have more at the store.”, Mrs. Tsosie said.

“Well, it looks like a trip to the store.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. It’s always fun to look at everything that you have. Will you be there tomorrow or Saturday?”

“Yes, I’ll be open both of those days and Sunday.”

“We’ll be there on one of those days.”

I’d been looking around and saw that she had two awéétsááls - (cradleboards) there. So, I said, “Mrs. Tsosie, do you have any more cradleboards at the shop?”

“No, Kai, I don’t. Those are the only two that I have, and I don’t know when I’ll have any more.”

I looked at Ajie and said, “What do you think?”

Ajie looked at the cradleboards, and said, “They’re both pretty, and there are different designs on each of them. So, maybe.”

“I think we should.”

“Okay. Let’s do it.”

“Mrs. Tsosie.”, I asked. “Are those two cradleboards sized for infants?”

“Yes, they are.”, Mrs. Tsosie said. “I’ll have some that are bigger after Christmas.”

“We’ll take both of those cradleboards.”

“If you like, you can leave them here until you’re ready to leave the gathering.”, Mrs. Tsosie said.

“If Charlie will help me, we’ll just take everything we’ve purchased out to the car right now.”

Then I saw Jackie whisper something to Charlie, then he said, “Mrs. Tsosie, do you have a blanket that would fit a king-size bed.”

“I do”, Mrs. Tsosie said. “But if you can come to the shop with Kai and Ajie this weekend, I’ll have a better selection.”

“We probably will come with them. So we’ll look then. And, Kai, I’ll help you carry things to the car.”

I paid Mrs. Tsosie for the two cradleboards and said hágoónee' - (see you later) to her. Then as Charlie and I were gathering our things, I said to Ajie and the rest of our group, “Why don’t you go to the cafeteria, find a table for the eight of us, and when Charlie and I get back, we’ll get lunch.”

“Sounds good to me.”, Ajie said. “And we’ll see if we can find Aunt Ruth and Uncle Paul.”

“See you in a few minutes.”

Charlie and I gathered up our purchases and headed for the parking lot. Once we’d placed everything in the trunk, we headed back to the cafeteria. We found everyone sitting at a round table, and that included my aunt and uncle.

Charlie and I sat for a minute, then the men and I went and picked up the food for everyone. As we were eating, Mary, Dr. Joe’s wife, asked, “Are there any other gatherings in the Nation today?”

“Yes.”, my Uncle Paul said. “Many of them. Taos isn’t within the Nation, but it offers a good place to hold it. So those that live close come here. The next nearest one is in Window Rock, and that’s where Kai’s Aunt Ginny and Uncle Gaagii are.”

Then I asked, “Who was the medicine man that gave the opening prayer?”

No one was sure, so I said, “I guess I’ll have to ask Naainish.”

“Speak of the devil.”, my uncle said. “Naainish and the other medicine man are walking towards us right now.”

Just as they walked up, I turned and said, “Yá'át'ééh, Naainish. Nizhonigó íiná aadóó hozhónahasdlíí. - (Hello, Naainish. It is good, and all is harmony around us.)”

He smiled and said, “Yá'át'ééh t'áá ájíltso. Nizhonigó íiná aadóó hozhónahasdlíí. - (Hello everyone. It is good, and all is harmony around us.)”

“Join us.”

“Naainish said. “Sorry, but we can’t. Hashkeh Naabah has to leave shortly. Hashkeh Naabah is a medicine man from over near Tuba City. And he wanted to visit our gathering and also was hoping to meet Kai Nez.”

Then putting his hands on my shoulders, Naainish added, “Hash, this young lady is Kai Nez, and I’ll let her introduce everyone else.”

I introduced every one starting with Ajie. And when I finished, Hashkeh Naabah said, “It’s nice meeting everyone, and especially you Kai Nez and you, Chief Etsitty.”

“It was nice to meet you too, Hashkeh Naabah.”, I replied.

“I’ve heard so much about you. I’ll have to come back when I have time to talk with you.”

“That would be fine. We could set something up through Naainish.”

“That would be good.”

Then Naainish and Hashkeh Naabah excused themselves. We went back to finish our lunch. And yes, I had a frybread taco.

As we were finishing lunch, Vickie asked, “Kai, why the two cradleboards?”

“We’ve been told that it’s a good way to carry the babies, like if you want to take them shopping with you and don’t want to push a stroller. You can wear them like a backpack. Also, as you know, we like to hike and will want to take them with us when they’re older. Plus, we’ve been told that they can have a soothing effect on the baby.”

“They can have a soothing effect on a baby.”, Aunt Ruth said. “Your Aunt Ginny used them for her two boys.”

“Ajie, you do know that we’re planning a baby shower for you.”, Vickie said.

“I’d heard a rumor to that effect.”, Ajie said.

“You might want to wait to see what you get at the shower before you buy things.”

“Kai and I have bought some things.”

“We’ll need a list of what you have.”

“I’ll do that. When is this going to happen.”

“Next weekend.”, Vickie said.

“Cutting it close.”, Ajie replied.

“When are they due?”

“Sometime in the first two weeks of December, and we won’t have them until they’re about five or six days old.”

“When can you get me a list.”

“I think I can tell you right now.”

“Okay. Go on.”

“So far we’ve gotten, a crib, a crib mattress, a changing table, a playpen, a dual seat stroller, a baby monitor, a diaper pail, … ” And Ajie went on to list the small things.

When she finished, Mary said, “There are several things that you still need, so we can have fun getting them.”

“So, where is this baby shower going to be?”, Ajie asked.

“Our house on Saturday the seventh.”, Vickie said.

“And you were going to tell us when?”

“When we invited you over for lunch and surprised you.”

“I’m glad you told us we were going to go shopping some more this coming week.”

“Well, don’t.”

“We won’t.”

“And act surprised when you come to the house next Saturday.”

As we were getting up from lunch, my aunt and uncle excused themselves and headed home to finish packing for their trip to Hawaii. And it wasn’t much later that Dr. Joe and Mary headed home to rescue the babysitter from Little Mark, who’s Ojibwa name Makwa, which means bear.

That left just Vickie, Jackie, Ajie, Chief Tom, Charlie, and me at the gathering. We started back to the gymnasium to watch some dancing. Then we ran into Dibe Bylilly and her fiance Hal.

When she saw us, it was hugs, and “I’m so happy to see you.”

“And we’re happy to see you. How are things?”

“Wonderful!”, Dibe replied.

“And school?”, Ajie asked.

“Things are harder this year, but I’m not having any problems.”

“That’s good to hear. Do you still have our phone number?”

“Of course. It’s in my wallet.”

“Be sure to call if you need to talk.”

“I will.”, Dibe said.

“You’d better.”, Ajie said.

Then I heard a woman say, “Miss Nez?”

Both Ajie and I looked towards the sound of the voice, and the woman said, “Oh! It is you.”

I knew this woman but from where? So I said, “Yes, I’m Kai Nez.”

“You don’t remember me. Do you?”

“You look familiar, but I’m not sure from where.”

“I’m Mrs. Hatayhli, and you helped my daughter, Dee, when she had her horseback riding accident.”

My mouth went dry. Dee, or Shideezhi, is the girl that’s carrying the twins that we are supposed to adopt. This is her mother. I shouldn’t be nervous around her, but I was.

I said, “Oh, yes. Mrs. Hatayhli. Now I remember you. I may have been with your daughter, but it was the Yei spirits that helped her. I just provided a way for them to do that. How is she doing?”

“She’s doing very well. She didn’t have any lasting effects from the fall.”, Mrs. Hatayhli replied.

“I’m glad to hear that. Is Dee here?”

“No, she didn’t come today.”

“That’s a shame. I would have liked to have met her.”

“And I think that she’d like to meet you too.”, Mrs. Hatayhli said.

“Maybe we will meet one day.”, I replied.

“I hope you do. And Miss Nez, you may say that you didn’t help her, but I know that you did. You sat with her for hours, and she got better.”

“Maybe I did help her, Mrs. Hatayhli. But if I did, it was by helping the spirits find her. I also felt that she was very strong, and that probably helped too.”

“I have to get back to our booth. It was nice seeing you again, Miss Nez.”

“It was nice seeing you too, Mrs. Hatayhli. Say hello to Dee for me, and maybe we’ll see her at the next gathering.”

“That would be wonderful.”

“Hágoónee', Mrs. Hatayhli. - (See you later, Mrs. Hatayhli.)”

As Mrs. Hatayhli walked away, Dibe asked, “Did you really help her daughter?”

“As I told her, I may have helped the Yei spirits help her.”, I replied.

Then Dibe said, “We’ve got to go dance. I’ll see you later.”

Then as Dibe hugged me, she whispered, “You are special.”

“Have fun, Dibe.”, I said. “And we’ll see you later.”

Dibe and Hal ran off towards the gym.

Chief Tom looked at me and asked, “Kai, are you okay?”

“I need some fresh air.”, I replied. “Let’s go outside.”

I led my group of friends outside, and we found a quiet place to sit. We sat there for a minute, and then Vickie asked, “Kai, what’s wrong?”

“Mrs. Hatayhli is the mother of the girl who is carrying the twins. And why I had the reaction to her that I did, I don’t know.”, I replied.

“Oh. And they don’t know that you’re the ones that are adopting them. Do they?”

“No, they don’t.”, Ajie replied.

“How do you know about her?”, Vickie asked.

“We found out that the girl, Dee, was the one carrying the twins when we were talking about the girl with the people from the Navajo Children and Family Services. We wanted to find out a little about her, so we’d asked them if they could tell us anything about the girl without revealing her identity.

“While they were telling us a few things about her, those things started to click. And when they finished, Kai said that we knew that they couldn’t tell us her name. But, would they tell us if we were right if we told them her name? They said that they would. And when Kai told them her name, they were shocked. Then Kai went on to tell them how we knew, and they were even more shocked.”

“They believed you?”, Jackie asked.

“Yes, they’re all Navajo and understand these things.”, Ajie replied.

“Was it the spirit thing?”

“Kai and I both feel that it was.”

“Did they, the spirits, have anything to do with bringing you and the girl together?”

Ajie and I looked at each other, then I looked at Jackie and said, “I don’t know.”

“I don’t either.”, Ajie said.

Chief Tom looked at me and said, “Naainish?”

“Maybe I do need to talk to Naainish.”, I replied. “But, even he may not know.”

“Then, no one will.”

We all went back inside and looked at the offerings of a few more of the vendors. Then we went back into the gym to watch the dancers, and we were happy when we saw Dibe dance with her friends. We also watched a jingle dress dance, and Vickie found that very interesting.

We had dinner at the gathering and then watched the closing ceremony. And the drive back to the resort was in the dark. As we drove, we had a lot to talk about, things that we’d seen and done at the gathering. One thing that was said was that Ajie and I make better frybread tacos. And Vickie couldn’t say enough about the dancers, especially the jingle dress dancers.

Back at the resort, we got Chief Tom, and Vickie checked into the hotel, and then we went to my aunt and uncle's house. My aunt and uncle were still up. I knew that they were leaving early tomorrow morning for Albuquerque to catch a flight.

As my aunt and uncle were saying good night, I asked, “Aunt Ruth, do you mind if we have everyone here for breakfast.”

“Kai.”, Aunt Ruth said. “Remember, this house is your house.”

“I know. I just wanted to check.”

“And we’ll probably be gone before you get up.”

Everyone wished my aunt and uncle a safe trip.

We weren’t up early enough on Friday morning to say hágoónee' - (see you later) to my aunt and uncle before they left for Hawaii. Or early enough to catch the Sunrise up on the cliff. Besides, it was a cold, windy morning, so being up on the cliff wouldn’t have been pleasant. But, we were up early enough to put together a good breakfast for the six of us. Ajie and I put together a southwest breakfast scramble, and Ajie even made cheesy pull-apart bread. By seven-thirty, Charlie and Jackie were up and had joined us in the kitchen. And a short time later there was a knock at the front door. Charlie went to see who was there and it was Chief Tom and Vickie.

As Chief Tom and Vickie walked into the kitchen, Chief Tom said, “What smells so good?”

“Breakfast of course.”, I said.

“What are we having?”

“A southwest breakfast scramble and fresh cheesy pull-apart bread. And coffee if you want to make it.”

While we ate, we tried to talk Chief Tom and Vickie into going to the rug shop with us. But they had plans back home, so after we cleaned up the kitchen, they went back to the hotel, checked out, and headed home.

Then, the four of us planned a run to the rug shop and then have lunch in Taos.

As we were driving on the back roads south of Taos, Charlie said, “Kai, I’m glad you know where you’re going.”

“I don’t know where I’m going.”, I replied. “The car knows, but I don’t.”

Then I said, “You know. Someday, cars may just do that.”

“Do what?”, Charlie asked.

“You’ll tell them where you want to go. You’ll sit back and relax, and the car will drive you to your destination.”

“You’re kidding?”

“Nope, with the way computers are evolving, it’ll happen.”

“What’ll keep the car from running into things?”

“Sensors. And computers can react to things quicker than we can.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it.”

“I think you will.”

Shortly we were pulling up The Rug House. There were maybe half a dozen cars and pickup trucks parked around the building. As we walked into the shop, we saw Mrs. Tsosie, the owner, working with a customer. So we just started looking around.

Since we’d been here before Ajie and I knew where everything was. So we took Charlie and Jackie over to where the blankets were. And we started looking through the ones for king-sized beds. As we looked at all the blankets, Jackie said, “There’s no prices on anything.”

“I know.”, Ajie said. “We’ll have to ask.”

“I’m afraid that it’s going to be too much.”

“Remember, these are all wool and hand made. And if taken care of will last forever.”

“I know, that’s why we want one. Besides, last winter was cold in that apartment.”

“Didn’t you turn on the heat?” Ajie asked.

“Yes, but then it got too hot during the day, even turning the heat off.”, Jackie replied. “Besides, we like to keep the bedroom cool.”

“Then a good wool blanket would be worth it.”

“We’ll see.”

Charlie and Jackie did find a lovely king size blanket with a beautiful pattern.

While we were looking, Charlie asked, “Why am I seeing swastikas on some things?”

“I don’t know.”, I replied. “But I’ve seen it on other things too.”

“Maybe Mrs. Tsosie will know.”, Ajie said.

Shortly Mrs. Tsosie walked over to us, and said, “Yá’át’ééh - (it is good), I’m glad you made it.”

“Yá’át’ééh, we’d never miss a chance to visit your shop, Mrs. Tsosie.”, I replied.

“What can I help you with?”

“Ajie and I are looking for those two christening blankets that we talked about. And Charlie and Jackie are looking for a blanket for their bed. But, first, we have a question for you.”

“And what is that?”

“We’ve noticed the swastika on many things. I figure that it means something sacred to the native people.”

“You’re right Kai.”, Mrs. Tsosie said. “The use of the swastika by the Nazis during World War II was a bad thing for the symbol. Our people have used it for many hundreds of years. To us, the swastika symbolizes life and prosperity, not the deaths that it came to symbolize during that war.

“Our People, the Diné – (Navajo), call it the tsil no'oli' or whirling log, and it’s a sacred image used in healing rituals. Our friends the Hopi use it to show their wandering clans.

“Did that answer your question, Kai?”

“Yes, Mrs. Tsosie, you did. Thank you.”

“You’re more than welcome.

“And I see that your friends may have found a blanket?”

“Yes, they have. They’re just wondering about the cost.”

“Set it on the counter, and we’ll see when you’re ready to check out.”

I knew that Mrs. Tsosie could be flexible at the cost of things. But, I also knew that Charlie and Jackie had to be careful about what they spend.

Then Mrs. Tsosie said, “Since you’ve found a blanket, let me show you what I have in christening blankets.”

We walked over to where the christening blankets were, and Mrs. Tsosie said, “Take a look through these and see if you see something that you like. And I’ll be over at the counter.”

We looked through the christening blankets and found a number of them that we liked. We set a few aside ad kept looking. Then Ajie said, “I need to ask Mrs. Tsosie something. I’ll be right back.”

I watched out of the corner of my eye, as Ajie walked over to Mrs. Tsosie and talked to her. When Ajie walked back over to us, she had a little smile on her face. And she continued looking at the christening blankets.

We finally settled on two blankets, one for a girl and one for a boy. I think that Ajie was sure of the voice that she heard that one time that had told her, ‘awéé’ at’ééd dóó awéé’ ashkii – (baby girl and baby boy).’

As we were checking out, Charlie and Jackie were surprised at what Mrs. Tsosie was going to charge them. Then as she was writing it up, she said, “Oh. I made a mistake. That’s for a king-size bed, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is.”, Jackie said.

“I’ll need to charge you another dollar and a half. Is that a problem?”

“No. No, problem.”, Charlie said. And he paid her.

Then as Mrs. Tsosie wrote up our purchases, I noticed that she was charging us more than what we’d paid before. So I think I knew what the talk that she and Ajie had was about.

Then I saw the rug hangers on the shelf behind the counter, and I said, “Mrs. Tsosie, give us two of the rug hangers that will work with the christening blankets.”

“Oh.”, Mrs. Tsosie said. “You’re going to use them as wall hangings.”

“I think it would be fun to hang them in their rooms when they’re older.”

“Wait. You bought two awéétsááls - (cradleboards) and now you’re buying two christening blankets. It doesn’t look like Ajie is pregnant. Is she?”

I moved close to Mrs. Tsosie and loudly whispered, “Can you keep a secret?”

“Yes.”

“We’re adopting.”

“But two of everything?”

“Twins.”

“Oh my!”

“Can you keep it a secret for us?”

“Yes, if you promise to bring them to see me.”

“We can do that. We’ll stop when we're up at the resort.”

“I’ll keep your secret.”

“Thank you. It’s important to us.”

I paid Mrs. Tsosie for the two blankets and the two hangers. Then we said hágoónee' - (see you later) to her, put everything in the trunk and headed to Taos.

As we were eating lunch, Jackie asked, “Ajie, are you sure that it’s going to be a boy and a girl?”

“We’re as sure as we can be.”, Ajie replied. “I heard a voice while Kai and I were meditating at one of the bonfires that told me that they would be fraternal twins.”

“Spirits again.”

“Yes.”

“We’ll see.”

“Yes, we will.”

After we’d eaten lunch, we decided to head back to the resort, and use some of the amenities. Then after dinner, I had a fire going in the fireplace, and we were sitting in the living room just relaxing when the phone rang.

I looked at Ajie, and she said, “Well, are you going to answer it?”

I got up and answered the phone with a “Hello.”

And I heard, “This is Shilah at the front desk. Is this Miss Kai?”

“Yes, Shilah. This is Kai.”

“Miss Kai, Mr. Biakeddy said you’d be here this weekend.”

“Yes, we are.”

“We have a guest that was hurt in a minor car accident. At that time, he was feeling fine and refused treatment, but now he isn’t feeling well. I called the fire department, and they’re on another call. They are sending someone, but it will be a long time before they get here. And I’m worried about the man. I remembered that Miss Ajie is a nurse and wonder if she could come to the hotel and check on him.”

“Shilah, we’ll be right there.”

I hung up the phone, and said, “Ajie, get your medical bag. Everyone grab your coats. And let's go.”

“What’s up, Kai?”, Ajie asked.

“I’ll tell you on the way.”

As we half walked, half ran, to the hotel, I filled Ajie, Jackie, and Charlie in on what Shilah had told me. When we got to the hotel desk, Shilah and another clerk were there.

Shilah quickly took us to the room where the man and his wife were. As we walked in, Shilah said, “Mrs. Hill, this is Kai and Ajie Nez. Miss Ajie is an emergency room nurse in Albuquerque. I think she can help.”

Ajie didn’t wait for Mrs. Hill to say anything, but said, “Mrs. Hill, what happened?”

“We were in a minor car wreck, and Larry bumped his head on the dashboard.”

“How long ago did this happen?”

“About four hours ago.”

“What was he complaining about.”

“A severe headache.”

Mr. Hill was lying on the bed. He didn’t look good. Ajie looked at Jackie and quietly said, “Come with me, and watch and learn.”

Ajie walked over to the bed, opened the bag that she had with her, handed the stethoscope and blood pressure cuff to Jackie, and said, “Take his BP and pulse.”

As Jackie did what Ajie had asked, Ajie examined Mr. Hill, and then looked at his eyes. Then Ajie had Jackie check his eyes. I heard Jackie whisper, “They’re unequal.”

“And he’s unresponsive except to pain.”, Ajie whispered.

Then after Jackie told Ajie what she’d found, Ajie looked at Shilah and said, “Shilah, I need a phone.”

“Come with me, Miss Ajie.”

Ajie looked at Mrs. Hill and said, “We need to get him to the hospital.” Then looking at Jackie, she said, “Jackie stay with him. Take his BP every five minutes. And I’ll be right back.” Then looking at Shilah, she said, “Show me the phone.”

Ajie and Shilah left the room, and Jackie kept an eye on Mr. Hill. Charlie and I just stood there with Mrs. Hill. Finally, Mrs. Hill said, “Will he be alright.”

“I don’t know, Mrs. Hill.”, I replied. “But, if Ajie has her way, he will be.”

“Is she a good nurse.”

“An excellent nurse. And she handles things like this all the time.”

Ajie was gone for about ten minutes. And when she walked back into the room, she said, “Now all we can do is wait.”

“Isn’t there anything that you can do?”, Mrs. Hill asked.

“No, we just have to wait for the helicopter.”

“Helicopter?”

“Yes, we need to get him to Albuquerque. I talked to them, and they’ll be waiting for him.”

“Isn’t there a hospital closer.”

“Yes, but they aren’t equipped to handle something like this, and they’d do the same thing. Take a look at him and send him to Albuquerque. We’re, so to say, bypassing the middleman.

“And, Shilah is setting up a landing zone for them.”

Ajie went back over to Mr. Hill, and checked on him and looked at the BP readings that Jackie had been getting. I was surprised when about twenty minutes later, we heard a helicopter, and I said, “That was quick.”

“I know.”, Ajie said.

It wasn’t long until Shilah showed up with two crewmen from the helicopter carrying a stokes litter. Ajie talked to the helicopter crew in her take-charge way and told them what she thought was going on. Then we all helped move Mr. Hill from the bed to the stokes litter. Then Charlie and I helped the helicopter crew carefully carried Mr. Hill from the hotel to where the helicopter had landed.

As we walked up to the helicopter, I saw the pilot and did a double-take. No, it couldn’t be. But it was.

After we’d gotten Mr. Hill loaded into the helicopter, Ajie said, “Mrs. Hill, I think that you should go with him.”

“I don’t know.”, Mrs. Hill said. “What about our things and the car.”

“Mrs. Hill.”, Shilah said. “We’ll see that everything in your room is packed up.”

“What about the car?”

“We’re going back to Albuquerque on Sunday.”, Ajie said. “If you haven’t found a way back up here by then. We’ll be happy to drive it down for you.”

“That would be a lot of trouble.”. Mrs. Hill said.

“No, Mrs. Hill, it wouldn’t be. Just be sure to call the hotel and tell them if you’d like us to bring the car down.”

“No, I can’t go with him.”

“It would be a good idea if you went.”

Looking at the helicopter, Mrs. Hill shook her head, and said, “I … I just can’t.

Figuring that she was afraid, I said, “I know the pilot, and he’s very good.”

Ajie gave me a questioning look.

“Well, okay. I guess I can.”, Mrs. Hill said.

She described the car to us, took the car keys out of her purse, and handed them to Ajie. Then the helicopter crew helped Mrs. Hill got into the helicopter.

We all moved away from the helicopter as the pilot started the engine. And a few minutes later, they took off and headed south.

As we walked back to the hotel, Shilah said, “I’m sorry to have ruined your evening Miss Ajie.”

“Shilah.”, Ajie said. “You didn’t ruin it. If Mr. Hill had gone to the hospital after hitting his head, we wouldn’t have had a problem.”

“Miss Ajie, is he going to make it?”

“It’ll be touch and go. I feel that he has a brain hemorrhage, and I’m hoping that the doctors can do something. That’s why I insisted that Mrs. Hill go with him.”

“I see Miss Ajie. You sent her along just encase something happens to him.”

“Yes, Shilah, they needed to be with each other.”

Ajie handed the car keys to Shilah, and he headed for the hotel, and Ajie, Charlie, Jackie, and I headed for my aunt and uncle’s house. Ajie asked, “Kai, why did you say that you knew the pilot?”

“You didn’t see who it was. Did you?”

“No, I didn’t. Who was it?”, Ajie asked.

“It was Connor.”

“Connor?”

“Yes, Connor O’Brian. Kelly’s brother.”

“You’re kidding!?”

“No.”

“Did he recognize you?”

“I doubt it. He’s only met the Navajo version of Tom.”

“True. … Wait a minute, isn’t Kirkland an Air Force base?”

“Yes.”

“What’s he doing there. He’s a Marine.”

“Got me. And he was wearing a Marine flight suit.”

“I need to call Kelly.”

As we walked into my aunt and uncle’s house, Jackie said, “Ajie, I just loved watching you work.”

“I hardly did anything. Just found out what happened, checked Mr. Hill out, and made a phone call.”

“Yeah, but it’s the way you did it. You took charge. Even with the two Army guys.”

“I guess it’s just my way.”

I stoked up the fire, and we just relaxed in front of the fire. Ajie did say, “I wish it wasn’t so cold, I’d love to go out and watch the stars.”