Chapter 10

The funeral had been a very private affair. It had been held in a small chapel in the Arizona town they called home. The body had been laid to rest in a small corner of the local graveyard. Beth’s mother and the Carter Clan were the only ones in attendance. The rest of the town respected their wishes and did not attend.

The public memorial service would be held when her father left the hospital. The entire town would be invited as well as her colleagues from the hospital. In the mean time, Ling, Ed, and Mrs. Hayes had returned to California to take care of Dr. Hayes. Kelly had returned to work, but her heart wasn’t in it. John took care of the family business and continued to pursue the establishment of the Druid College.

He was sitting at the desk in the office upstairs from his bedroom. The desk was neat with little stacks of papers in neatly arranged bins. He pulled down one stack of papers from one bin and went through the papers one at a time. They listed the candidates for faculty search. He had reduced the number of candidates down to three. It was about time to interview them and measure their interest.

He was about to pick up the telephone when the intercom rang. He answered the intercom. Cathy said, “John, Maria was just on the phone and was asking about rescheduling her visit.”

John asked, “What visit?”

Cathy replied, “Your stud duties to the women that have deep and endearing crushes on you.”

John laughed and said, “Oh, that visit. Check with Kelly and see if she is up to it.”

“Okay, I’ll do that,” replied Cathy and then she disconnected.

John made his telephone calls, contacting the candidates. All of them were surprised at having been contacted. One refused outright. The other two were intrigued by the idea. One was from the Virginia Military Institute and the other was from MIT. He was going to meet with them in a month.

He replaced the papers in their appropriate slot. He went to the next slot and examined the papers within it. These dealt with the revenues from his fusion cell. He examined the papers dealing with handing the money over to the Fusion Foundation. He was about to sign the form that would turn over all of the money and sat back wondering if he was doing the right thing. He picked up the telephone and contacted Jim. When Jim answered, John stated, “Jim, I would like to change the terms on the fusion cell moneys. Let’s make it 65% to the Fusion Foundation, 10% to the Native American College, and 25% to the Druid College.”

Jim thought about it. He said, “That will dilute your influence over the Druid College.”

John replied, “No. I’m the Grand Druid. That is sufficient influence.”

Jim replied, “Okay, I’ll put the paperwork together and get it to you tomorrow.”

John answered, “Thanks. By the way, is there any chance of you and Sherry coming over for a weekend?”

Jim answered, “We’re waiting for Ed to get back. Sherry has decided that it’s time for her and Ed to have a little horizontal negotiations.”

John laughed and asked “Is that your description or hers?”

Jim laughed while he answered, “She said that it was time for her to jump his bones.”

John said, “That sounds more like Sherry.”

Jim got serious for a second. “I don’t think she trusts that the changes are permanent yet. She won’t believe it until she sees him working to make sure that she is totally satisfied.”

John replied, “That’s okay. I don’t think Ed has forgiven himself yet. This might be the opportunity for long-term peace to be established.”

In a serious voice, Jim replied, “I hope so.”

After exchanging appropriate good-byes, they hung up. John replaced the stack of papers into the appropriate bin. He went to the next bin and pulled out the stack of papers within it. These dealt with his quarterly tax filing. He looked at the bottom and saw how much he had to pay. He checked the form carefully, but realized that he didn’t know enough to critique the information on the form. He picked up the telephone and called the local tax office. He made arrangements for an IRS agent to come over and double check the return as though it were an audit. The stack of papers went back into the bin.

He sat back knowing that his paperwork morning had ended. He hated this, but until he could hand some of this work to an appropriate person, he was stuck with it. They were still short of staff and had been for a year. Marguerite was still the chef, Cathy was running the office, Sarah was providing maid service, Greg was providing security, and Bob was still the handyman. They still needed an assistant for Cathy as the amount of work was overwhelming.

John was surprised at how much he missed having Ed and Ling around the house. Kelly and he had slept together almost every night, but he missed Ling’s touch and his evening conversations with Ed. Kelly was often tired at night and missed Ling more than he. Every one missed Beth; she had been such an integral part of the household.

Tonight was Wednesday and the tribal elders would be meeting. He called the security center looking for Greg, but he wasn’t there. He tried the garage, but there was no answer from there. He finally contacted the office connecting with Cathy.

She answered, “Hello?”

“Hi, Cathy, this is John.”

“What can I do for you?”

“I’m trying to locate Greg. I need him to pick up two cartoons of cigarettes for my trip to the reservation tonight.”

Cathy replied, “He’s meeting with the Police Chief about some security details. I’ll call him on his cell phone and give him the message.”

John asked, “He has a cell phone?”

Cathy laughed as she answered, “Everyone has a cell phone except you.”

“Oh.”

She asked, “Do you want one?”

“I don’t know. Do I need one?”

There was a hesitation for second. “I would like to answer yes to that question.”

“Then I guess I’ll get one.”

He disconnected wondering how he had missed noticing that everyone had a cell phone. He felt that he was missing major changes in the world around him. He wondered if it was time that he went into a major urban area and worked there for a while. He was still teaching one class a semester in Phoenix, but he didn’t spend much time in the town. He picked up the telephone and called the head of the physics department. He told them he wouldn’t be teaching a course next semester, but would return the semester after that. They weren’t happy about it, but there wasn’t too much they could do.

John approached the simple building well after dark. He could hear the discussions taking place within the building. He was stopped at the main door by a man guarding it. He was not friendly. John greeted the man, “Hello. I’m here to meet with the tribal elders.”

The man replied, “The tribal elders don’t deal with white men.”

John smiled and asked, “Would you mind asking them if I may talk to them?”

“Look Mr. Indian-wanna-be, we don’t want to be bothered by you or your kind.”

John smiled and said, “That is an admirable sentiment. I am sure that William Redman will agree with you.”

The use of William’s name surprised the man. William never dealt with white men. The man replied, “William doesn’t talk to white men.”

John looked at the man carefully in the light. He realized that he knew the man. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He offered the pack to the man. He said, “It has been a long time since I’ve seen you Awa Tsireh. The last time, you were watching a flock of sheep.”

The man took the pack and removed a cigarette. This man knowing his true name shocked him. He lit the cigarette and handed the pack back to John. He asked, “Who are you?”

“John Carter.”

The day he had met the white man with the cat in the desert came rushing back to him. He remembered sending the man to meet William Redman. He said, “Wait here, John Carter.”

The man went inside for a minute. He returned quickly. He asked, “What is your business here?”

John replied, “I have come seeking the benefits of their wisdom.”

He nodded and said, “They will see you last.”

“Thank you,” replied John. He looked at the man for a moment. “You don’t like whites coming here.”

“That’s right.”

“Why?” asked John.

The man stared at him. He wondered if an honest answer would upset John. He answered, “They come here to steal from us.”

“That is a good reason not to trust whites. However, keeping whites away won’t protect you and may hurt you in the long run.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Well, you try to keep the whites away like that and the ones that want to help won’t come here. The ones that want to steal will just find another way in,” John replied.

“So what do you suggest?” He was actually curious as to what John was going to say.

“Your tribe needs lawyers that will protect the tribe.”

Awa Tsireh burst out laughing. He shook his head and said, “You white men. Who do you think we need protection from?”

“I didn’t say you should hire lawyers. I said your tribe needs lawyers.”

The man looked at John with a very critical eye. He challenged, “Who?”

John smiled and said, “Oh, I would suggest warriors that enjoy a good battle. I would recommend men and women such as you. If you are to fight the white man, then you must learn to use their weapons against them. You would be good at it.”

Awa Tsireh looked thoughtful. The issue always came down to money. He asked, “How will I pay for a law school degree?”

John looked at him for a second and then said, “I would talk to William Redman about it. You might be surprised at what he has to say. There is money for that.”

The door opened as a number of people left the meeting hall. The last one out said, “You may go in now.”

John went into the cinder-block building. It was a general-purpose building. The room the elders were in doubled as a basketball court. The elders sat at a table across the front of the room. John stepped forward and set two cartoons of cigarettes on the table. He went back to the middle of the room and stood facing them. They watched him for several minutes, but John just waited. Finally, one of the men asked, “Why have you come, John Carter?”

John looked at each person for a second and then answered, “I have come for your advice.”

There was a moment of silence. Finally, William Redman asked, “What kind of advice could our friend John Carter want from us?”

John looked at William Redman and answered, “A young woman has offered herself to me on behalf of your tribe.”

John paused. William replied, “That is true.”

“Many in the tribe disagree with this action on her part,” John stated.

“That is true, also.”

John nodded and thought about it. He said, “I want to avoid problems between your tribe and my clan.”

William asked, “Why do you think there will be problems?”

John waited a minute before answering, “Discontent on the part of the tribe does not bode well for relations with the Carter clan.”

The elders talked amongst themselves for a moment. John watched as they discussed the matter. He was patient. Finally, William said, “You have made a good observation.”

John nodded and said, “I have made another observation. The young woman desires this more than the tribe.”

This time, the talk among the elders was much more animated. John could tell that he had hit upon a truth that was already recognized among the elders. One of the other elders asked, “So what are you suggesting John Carter?”

“The woman offered herself to me on behalf of the tribe. The tribe did not offer her to me. The tribe is still free to offer me anything that will maintain peaceful relations.”

William grinned as he asked, “Such as?”

John thought about it for a long time and then said, “Perhaps a handcrafted gift worked upon by those members of the tribe that wish to extend a thanks.”

An old woman said, “You can buy anything you want.”

John laughed at the suggestion. He said, “I can buy things. I can not buy the goodwill that goes into its making. That is priceless.”

The woman cackled, “Oh, William. You are so right about this John Carter.”

William smiled and asked, “So what about the young woman?”

“That is where I need your advice.”

The old men around the table laughed. One of them said, “You are not the first brave that needs advice when dealing with a woman.”

The old woman made a gesture and everyone quieted down. She asked, “Do you have an idea?”

John said, “I would like to ask her for a date in public, where it’s clear that the request is coming from me and that she has a choice to accept or not.”

“We need to discuss this among ourselves.” The elders talked among themselves for quite a while. John waited patiently as the discussion progressed. The minutes stretched into half an hour. John understood that he had brought them a difficult problem. Finally, the elders all nodded and turned to face John. William said, “Four weeks from tonight, you will come here. We shall present a gift such as you suggested. There shall be a celebration after the gift has been given. During that celebration, you will publicly ask me for permission to date the young lady. I shall give my permission. Sarah can give you background on how to ask.”

John said, “It’s a wise choice.”

Looking upon John with evident approval, William said, “It’s a wise man that goes to others for advice and listens to it. You have allowed us to resolve a general tension in the tribe while allowing a young lady that is afraid of following her heart, to do as her heart directs.”

John smiled and said, “Thank you for your time. I appreciate the effort you have put into this problem of mine. May I also inform you of one other minor matter?”