Chapter 12

At a convenience store on reservation property, Ed held the door open for William. The little guy, just shy of four years old, wasn’t strong enough to open it himself. The handle was barely within reach. William, holding a five-dollar bill in his hand, marched up to the counter. The man behind the counter watched him approach with amusement at the serious expression on his face.

Reaching the counter, William said, “I need a pack of tobacco.”

The man, a Native American who was thirty years old, looked down at William and said, “You’re a little young to be smoking.”

Lifting his head to where he could look at the man behind the counter, Williams replied, “I am William Redman Carter. It would be rude to meet my great-grandfather without bringing a pack of tobacco.”

The clerk stepped back and looked at the child standing in front of him. Glancing at Ed, he reached over and picked up a pack of cigarettes. Handing it over to William, he said, “This is his favorite brand.”

William handed the money over to the clerk and while waiting for his change, said, “Thank you.”

When the clerk handed him the change, William went through it and separated the pennies. Setting them on the counter, he said, “For the penny tray.”

The clerk, used to kids that worried about every penny, was taken by surprise but didn’t show it. Instead, he replied, “William Redman will be proud of you.”

Outside, Linda waited in the car, worried about how the family would accept her son. Her nervousness increased when she noticed a large group of the tribal elders gathering in front of the building across the street. All of them were facing the convenience store as though waiting for something.

Beth asked, “Why is everyone staring at the store?”

“I don’t know, Dear,” replied Linda wondering if that was entirely true.

When William exited the store, he paused and looked across the street at the group gathered there. With great deliberation, he raised his right hand in a gesture of greeting to the tribal elders. He held his hand up for a full minute, waiting to lower it until after those across the street returned the gesture.

As the village elders began to disperse, he looked up at his father and said, “Let’s go meet Great-grandfather.”

The pair returned to the car much to the relief of Linda. She had observed the interaction between William and the village elders. She had been holding her breath from the moment when he had held up his hand and only released it once the elders had acknowledged him.

Getting into the car, William said, “I hope they judge me well.”

Smiling, Ed said, “Don’t worry. They acknowledged you.”

Looking out the window as Ed drove the car through the reservation, William was silent. When they reached their destination, he said, “That’s not the same thing.”

Sitting on a bench in front of his house, William Redman waited for the car, happy at the chance to meet his great-grandchildren. Time had not been gentle with the old man. His cataracts didn’t allow him to see the car or the kids within. Next to him, Robert White Feather said, “It will be nice to see my sister again.”

“I saw the movie they made of her book. They made the coyote look like a puppy and not the trickster that he is,” replied the elderly man.

“It’s not her fault,” replied Robert knowing full well that his grandfather had not been able to see the pictures. He was just reporting what others had said about the film.

Nodding, the old man replied, “The book was good. I’ve always liked the coyote.”

The children, in line from youngest to oldest, walked to the bench followed by Ed and Linda. William stopped in front of his great- grandfather and held out the pack of cigarettes. Robert accepted the cigarettes and placed them in his grandfather’s hand as he said, “William brought tobacco.”

The four-year-old said, “Great-grandfather, I am William Redman Carter. The tobacco is from all of us.”

“Come closer child,” replied the old man as he stretched out his arms. That the youngest would bring tobacco and share credit with his brother and sister was a good sign that they had been raised well. When William stepped closer, his great-grandfather swept him into a loving embrace. Smiling, the gentleman said, “Come closer Beth and John. I want to hug all of you.”

The children swarmed over their oldest living relative as a tear of happiness escaped down his cheek. Even though he was blind, he could feel the strength and goodness of their spirits. The children were fine additions to the family. One burned brighter than all the rest and that was William. He said, “I’m so pleased to meet all of you.”

Robert stood and hugged Linda to welcome her home. Ed stood back and let the family unite. When Robert finally let go of Linda, Ed stepped forward and shook hands with his brother-in-law saying, “They’ve been so excited about coming here. William was unwilling to delay even a day.”

Robert smiled and said, “It’s good to see the kids. Grandfather didn’t want to wait another day for this moment.”

There was truth in his statement, a fact that made Ed feel good. He respected William Redman and valued his opinion. The kids had backed away from their great-grandfather to give him some room to breathe. Calling out to Ed and Linda, William Redman said, “You have done well with these children. They are very polite and understand our ways. I’m sure that you are tired after your travels. Robert will take you to his house so that you can rest.”

Glancing over at his mother and father, William asked, “If it is alright with great-grandfather, may I stay here with him?”

The old man burst out laughing and said, “I insist upon it.”

Little John ran to the car and retrieved the small gym bag that contained William’s clothes even as the adults discussed the matter. Returning to the family, he slipped the bag into William’s hand whispering, “Have a nice visit.”

The old man closed the discussion when he said, “You will see him tonight at the community center. I have arranged for your children to meet the tribe. It has been decided.”

The adults knew that you didn’t argue with a tribal elder once they made up their mind about some matter. Kneeling down next to his son, Ed said, “Enjoy your visit.”

“Aren’t you going to tell me to behave myself?”

“Do I need to tell you that?”

“No.”

“There you go,” replied Ed with a smile on his face. He caught the look of amusement on the older man’s face. Turning to him, he said, “We shall see you later at the community center.”

At William’s frown, Ed shook his head afraid to ask the question. A few minutes later, the family was riding to Robert’s house on the reservation. Ed asked, “So how do you like being a tribal policeman?”

“Things have quieted down here over the past few years. We have many young men that have taken the challenge given to them by the elders. Alcoholism is down, people are watching their weight, and our economic status is up. Our lawyers are among the best in the country now. Almost no one is willing to try to take advantage of us, anymore,” replied Robert with a significant amount of pride in the recent accomplishments of the tribe.

“John will be happy to hear that,” replied Ed as he navigated around some rough spots in the road. The road was in pretty good condition, but a recent rain had washed out this particular region. Parked by the side of the road was the equipment to fix it.

“So big brother, how goes the tribe?” asked Linda from the back seat as she noticed some of the major improvements in the area.

“Awa Tsireh has become a chief. He’s working to protect some sacred burial grounds and has been quite successful. All of the contracts have been renegotiated for the betterment of the tribe. We are now fixing the roads ourselves out of tribal money rather than subcontracting them.” Robert laughed and said, “It only made sense. Our people were doing all the work anyway. The roads are in much better shape, now.”

Recalling the polite young man that had stopped by the restaurant and announced his decision to go to law school, Ed said, “He’s a credit to the tribe.”

“That he is,” agreed Robert.

Sarah looked around at the homes and said, “I see a lot of young couples here.”

“Yes, the college has been very good for us. The guy that lives there has started an internet company. Most of their business is creating web pages and they employ about ten people. The guy over there has an online store selling goods created by individuals within the tribe. Amazing how much money they’ve brought into the tribe,” said Robert.

“I can’t believe how many new houses there are here.”

Little John asked, “Are there any kids our age around here?”

“Lots. I’ve got four kids,” answered Robert with a smile.

The community center had not changed over the years since John had publicly asked permission to date Linda. That was remarkable as it meant that the center had been well maintained to last that long under the normal wear and tear of time. Linda thought it looked much smaller than she remembered. Little John and Beth were behind the center playing with other children on the playground.

Linda handled introductions between Ed and members of the tribe, not expecting him to remember everyone from the one time that he had meet them all. The pair navigated among relatives, greeting aunts and uncles that had not been seen in years. It dismayed her at how much older everyone looked. Time had been kinder to some and harsher with others.

The medicine man that she had consulted about having a child with John came over to her with a smile on his face. Taking her hand between his, he said, “I’m glad to see that you survived the birth. He’s a fine young man with a powerful spirit.”

Surprised, Linda asked, “When did you see him?”

“When he went to buy cigarettes for his visit to William Redman,” answered the medicine man. He had been in the crowd that had gathered across the street from the convenience store.

“Oh, I didn’t see you there,” remarked Linda.

The medicine man shook his head and smiled. Turning to Ed, he said, “I see you are still serving the truth.”

“Yes, I do,” replied Ed knowing that the medicine man could sense his power as easily as he could sense the power of the medicine man.

“We have young men to take our place now. The traditions won’t die as we had worried for years. We have John Carter to thank for that.”

Ed shook his head as he said, “John Carter may have enabled it, but William Redman, you, and the other elders of the tribe made it happen. I know for a fact that John had no idea how to help the tribe.”

“William Redman is a great man,” agreed the medicine man.

William Carter entered the room with the neighbor of William Redman. The young man was carrying his luggage and a long package wrapped in paper. Rather than going to his mother or father, he went to Robert White Feather. Once there, he whispered something to tribal policeman. Robert White Feather immediately left the community center.

Linda, noticing the action, went over to William and knelt down next to him. He looked at her with a tear-streaked face. She asked, “What’s the matter?”

“Great-grandfather died this evening.”

Linda threw her arms around William and hugged him tightly as she murmured, “Oh, my poor boy.”

Ed was about to go over to his wife and son when the medicine man put a hand on his arm. “William was waiting for this day for a long time.”

Puzzled, Ed asked, “Waiting for what?”

“To meet William. Now that it has happened, nothing remained for him to do.”

Ed stopped and looked at the medicine man knowing that he spoke the truth, but not sure of what the truth meant. He asked, “What are you saying?”

“William Redman died twenty minutes ago.”

“I must go to my son,” replied Ed thinking that his son must be hurting at having his great-grandfather die while he was visiting.

“Not yet,” replied the medicine man, “Both William Redman and William Carter knew this was going to happen. Why do you think he wanted to stay there?”

There wasn’t anyway to answer that question. Ed looked at the man and then at his son, wondering if William had really known what was going to happen. He knew better than to question it, William was deep and in touch with information that was beyond what others could know. He went over to William and knelt down hugging him tightly.

Awa Tsireh moved to one end of the room and called out, “Everyone, gather around.”

Amidst a lot of noise, people moved to the chairs facing the front of the room. The children, who had been playing outside, came in the room and went over to their parents. A feeling that something important was going to happen settled on the room. Awa Tsireh waited patiently at the front of the room as a hush fell upon the people.

Ed pulled the carton of cigarettes from his robe pocket, waiting for a chance to give it to the Chief. Awa Tsireh announced, “William Redman asked that the tribe recognize the children of the Carter Clan as members of the tribe. I would like everyone to welcome the three newest members of the tribe, Beth Carter, John Carter, and William Carter.”

The news was greeted with muted approval on the part of other members of the tribe, but with delight by Beth and Little John. William, who couldn’t be denied membership to the tribe, didn’t react in any fashion other than to congratulate his brother and sister. In a very quiet voice, Awa Tsireh said, “William Redman has passed his pipe to William Carter. I was there to witness this. He died ten minutes later.”

The news stunned the people in the room. That William Redman would pass his pipe to William Carter was amazing. The pipe, given to William Redman by his Grandfather, was over a hundred years old. The news of his death was the only thing that could have overshadowed news about the passing of the pipe. Beth and Little John turned to their brother and hugged him, knowing that he must have been present when William Redman died.

Taking a deep breath, William stood and walked to Awa Tsireh carrying the pipe with the care that it deserved. Every eye in the room followed his progress. Once he was in front of the Chief, he said, “Chief Awa Tsireh, this pipe must remain within the reservation. I entrust it to your care. It is to be used by the tribal elders on occasions of great importance.”

The Chief bent down and accepted the pipe from William. Removing the wrapping from the pipe, he held it up for all to see. Few in the room had seen the pipe since William only used it on the most serious occasions. Setting the pipe on the table in front of him, Awa Tsireh said, “You honor me and the elders with such a trust.”

William nodded and returned to his chair. The Chief announced, “Three days from now, William Redman will be put to rest following the old ways. The medicine men will prepare for the ceremony.”

A coyote howled at the moon as the men sat around the campfire listening to the distant beating of drums and shouts as men of the tribe danced patterns that had been practiced for centuries. John, Ed, Leroy, George, Bob, and Walt were watching the stars that burned unnaturally bright that night. Ed could feel the energy feeding his soul as the desert worked its magic on him. Rubbing the blisters on his hands created by digging the burial hole in the desert, John remarked, “I’m sorry it took his death to bring us all together out here.”