Chapter 48

William stepped out of the hotel bracketed by his two bodyguards. All three of them came to a halt when they noticed the crowd gathered there. Rock and Natalie put their hands on the pistols. Gunter edged closer to Mayra and, in a whisper, asked, "What's going on?"

"I don't know," she whispered back.

One of the men from the crowd stepped forward and raised a hand in greeting. He said, "Talks with Animals, we of the Northwestern Tribes welcome you to Seattle."

"Thank you, Sam Hanson of the Duwamish Tribe," William replied recalling the man's name and affiliation from a meeting several years earlier. The Duwamish Tribe was one of the tribes that were not recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs although it was a member of the five hundred nations.

Shocked at being recognized, Sam required a moment to gather his thoughts. After a slight hesitation, he said, "We would like to invite you and your party to a Potlatch tonight at the Duwamish Tribal Longhouse."

"My party and I would be most happy to accept your invitation," William answered giving a shallow nod of his head in the direction of Sam.

"We shall wait for you there," Sam said. The crowd slowly dispersed as they went on their way. It would have been rude to hold up William for longer than it was necessary to deliver the invitation. After the crowd had left, Donna and her parents remained.

Sandra dug into her purse and scratched an item off her to-do list. She wondered how Barbara managed to keep track of William and Lucy twenty-four hours a day. She was with him and couldn't predict his schedule for more than four hours at a time.

William waved to Donna and asked, "Aren't you going to introduce me to your parents?"

Donna and her parents walked over to William. They had been shocked to find so many people waiting to talk to him. Donna said, "Talks with Animals, these are my parents, Don and Mary Barnes."

Don Barnes said, "We had intended to invite you out for dinner, but we just saw that you have other plans."

"We would have been pleased to dine with you. Would you mind joining us at the Duwamish Tribe Longhouse tonight," William asked.

"We would be most pleased," he said.

"Come join us for lunch," William said gesturing to the half dozen people from the conference that had accepted his invitation.

"You honor us," Don said. His wife edged closer to him, unsure how to act in front of Talks with Animals. He gestured to Donna and said, "It was kind of you to give our daughter a chance to visit with us while you were here."

"It was my pleasure," William replied.

Gunter leaned over to Mayra and, in a whisper, asked, "Are they Indians?"

"Yes," Mayra answered.

"I thought they had all been killed off," Gunter remarked unable to believe what he had seen. At the surprised expression on Mayra's face, he explained, "You know, like the buffalo."

Overhearing the comment, William laughed and said, "The Native Americans are still here as are the buffalo."

As a group, the party headed over to the restaurant in which Sandra had reserved a private room for them. As they walked, Donna sidled up to Sandra and asked, "How are you holding up?"

"I'm fine. I'm just a little frustrated," Sandra replied shrugging her shoulders. She wished that Barbara was there to help alleviate the itch that had developed between her legs.

"I understand. I was surprised when Barbara called inviting my family to meet him," Donna said watching William talking to her father. They had been embroiled in an argument about disturbing Talks With Animals when she had received the call. She had felt that it would be rude to intrude on him when he was surrounded by so many important people. Her parents had felt it would be rude not to extend an invitation to dinner.

Mary Barnes walked beside Mayra and Gunter feeling a little more comfortable with the pair. Gunter, amazed at having met real American Indians, asked, "You are an Indian?"

"Yes, but we prefer the term Native American," Mary answered amused by the man's wide-eyed expression.

"You are the first Native American I have met," Gunter said.

"You know Talks with Animals," she countered.

"Who is that?"

"William Redman Carter. He is the most famous Medicine Man in the country. He was first to serve as the voice of the White Buffalo. He removed an ancient curse that affected all our peoples," Mary Barnes answered.

Gunter and Mayra exchanged puzzled expressions. Mayra finally asked, "William is a Medicine Man?"

"Yes, he is a most respected Medicine Man," Mary Barnes answered.

"Is he like the Pope or something?" Gunter asked confused by her answers to his questions.

"No. He is more like a tribal elder who is recognized by all five hundred tribes," she answered. Smiling, she asked, "Are you going to the Duwamish Tribal Longhouse tonight?"

"I don't know," Gunter answered.

"I'm leaving after lunch," Mayra answered.

"That is a shame. The Duwamish are known to throw a good Potlatch. They are not recognized by the Federal Government so they have fought even harder to retain their cultural heritage. There will be food, songs, dances, and story telling. Maybe if we are lucky, Talks with Animals will tell us a story," Mary Barnes said glancing in William's direction.

Sighing, Gunter said, "I would like to see that very much. I've always wanted to see a Teepee."

"Wrong tribe," Mary said with a giggle. She explained, "Teepees were used by nomadic tribes that followed the Buffalo. Here in the Northwest, our tribes were settled in communities with buildings called Long Houses. Entire families would live in a Long House. Many had very decorative entrances made of huge logs carved in the shapes of animals. We fished, hunted, and raised crops. Where William is from, they lived in Pueblos. Those are houses made of adobe."

"Oh," Gunter said. He was silent for a moment and then asked, "Is there a book about this?"

"I am sure that if you go to the Potlatch, they will be happy to give you a book. You will need to bring something to the Potlatch."

"What is a Potlatch?"

"It is a gathering in which everyone brings something to eat and the food is shared among all who attend. It is a way of sharing that allows those with much to give to those with little without being insulting," Mary answered.

Donna went over to her mother and, in a worried voice, said, "Daddy is taking a lot of William's time. He is with some very important scientists."

"Your father has manners and will not impose upon William," Mary chastised. Softening, she said, "You work with William. What is your impression of him?"

"I love him," Donna answered. Realizing what she said, she put a hand over her mouth. She had spent the entire visit with her parents trying to hide her true feelings about William from them.

Surprised at her daughter's answer, Mary said, "He is married to Walks with Wisdom."

"I know," Donna said seeming to collapse in on herself. She said, "He is just so good. He treats me like I'm special."

Concerned, Mary asked, "Has he acted improperly?"

"No," Donna said while shaking her head. She sighed and said, "I wish he would."

"Donna!"

"I'm sorry Mom. We all feel that way about him," Donna said.

"Young woman, you will behave yourself. He is a married man. I would hate to think what would happen if you bring shame on us," Mary said. Everyone was proud that Donna had gone to work for Talks with Animals.

"Yes, Mom."

Sandra joined them and, after one look at Donna, had a very good idea what they had been discussing. She said, "We are at the restaurant. Perhaps I could talk with your mother for a little while."

Gunter and Mayra had listened to the conversation while walking to the restaurant. Mayra had a good idea that Donna had told the truth about all of the women working for William desiring him. Although he was almost twenty years younger than her, his charm was infectious. She doubted any young woman could resist him for long. She had found his intellect just as difficult to resist.

They took their seats at the table just in time to hear William say, "I'll be visiting the Seattle Homeless Hotel this afternoon."

Frustrated, Rock groaned and said, "I knew it. This trip was too good to be true."

Grinning at her partner, Natalie said, "Hey, he's been here almost a week without visiting one."

"A conference, a Native American Potlatch and a Homeless Hotel, all in the same day. Are there any other crowded places he can visit?"

Mayra asked, "What's the matter?"

"I'm going to visit a Homeless Hotel this afternoon," William answered looking at Rock.

"What's that?"

"A place where homeless folks hang out," Rock said.

Knowing that the bodyguards hated it when he went to visit a Homeless Hotel, William looked down the table at Rock. Apologetically, he said, "They are friends. You can't come to town and not visit your friends."