Chapter 14

The limo was a long bastard and harder to drive than a big truck, but it was plush inside. The seats in the rear weren't really seats; they were like long couches down each side. It had a bar, a complicated stereo system, and a hell of a lot of stuff I didn't even recognize. There was even one of those disco balls back there, but its lights didn't show up much in the daytime. What the hell, I was up front and didn't have to worry about all that crap.

We decided not to try driving up and honking the horn in this ride. We pulled up, meek as lambs, got out, and went into the house.

"What do ya know, Wanda, they found their way back by themselves," Ethel said, as we came in.

"Not only that, we found a new toy down in my garage. I think we should all take a ride in it," I said.

"What kind of toy?" she asked.

"George told me you'd been threatening to call a limo for a ride. Somebody else must have heard it too. Your chariot awaits," I said, grinning.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

"Why don't ya go on out there and see for yourself, Ethel," George said.

They decided that was the best way to get things moving so Ethel and Wanda went to the back door. Both of them were shocked motionless and speechless when they opened it. They didn't even go outside, they just stood there and stared.

Ethel recovered first.

"Where in the hell did you buy this, George, and when?" she asked.

"I didn't do it. When we went in the garage down there, we found it, and a few others," George said.

"Well if that don't beat all. John must a done something they really liked," she said.

"I hope I've already done it," I said, "At least I hope I don't have more to do that seems like it would make up for this and the other stuff. I'm a little worried that they're gettin' me rigged out so I can't complain about what comes next."

"At least they've put some effort into keepin' ya. It coulda been a lot worse," Wanda said.

"Now that you mention it I know you're right."

Ethel went to get Doctor Jorge, Meka, and of course, the new dog. They all came to take a look, and I'll swear the dog was more impressed with the limo than Meka was. That came to an end when they went out to look inside.

Meka was inside it for a minute or so and then she and the dog came back out. Meka smiled at me and then put the dog down. He was not one to miss a chance to pee, but he was done soon enough. Meka picked him back up and then looked at me.

"Take us ride, Daddy?' she asked.

Who could resist her? I knew I wasn't the one. Nodding my head, I went back to the driver's door and saddled up, with George sitting up front with me.

Doctor Jorge was sitting up near George and I, so I asked him about the name Meka was calling the dog.

"She hasn't named him yet. She said tomorrow would be a good day to name him. She's waiting until then," he said.

"But I've heard her call him something in her language a couple of times," I said.

"It didn't happen to sound like sound like ch'uht'uh dìitsi? did it?" he asked.

"I think that's it," I said.

"Ch'uht'uh dìitsi? means fuzzy dog in her language," he said, and then laughed.

"That hits him right on the head. Now that you mention it, I think it would help if I knew at least a few words in her language, so I could talk to the others if I go back," I said.

"The most important word for you to use is Texas," he said, leaving me batting my eyelids and shaking my head.

"There's no Texas back then," I said.

"The actual word in their language is taysha, but Spaniards later spelled it tejas, but Texas will do fine, it means friend," he said.

"Can you hit me with a few more?" I asked.

"Kùmbakfühah - my name is," he said, "and Dahyáhyut is come in."

I spent the next ten minutes driving and trying to get my mouth to make the same sounds Doctor Jorge's had made. It was a real bitch, especially after he threw in the rising and falling pitches.

"Very good, next we'll try some of the words that sound like you're trying to swallow a letter," Doctor Jorge said, and then laughed.

"I might not need to communicate with them as badly as I thought."

"Don't give up yet, John, just don't think you can learn it in an afternoon. It might not seem right, but Meka has a much easier time of it than you will," he said.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because she isn't so set in her ways yet. Also, everyone around her is speaking English and I'm there to help her anytime.

"Of course it's a learning experience for me too. She is a native speaker of the language and she hasn't been corrupted by English the way modern Caddos have. They're trying to resurrect their language while she knows it already," he said.

"I think I can understand that," I said.

"No matter what any so called expert on the language thinks they know, Meka knows more. She is the current authority on Earth. Many scholars would give up years of their life to study it under her, if they could only know," he said.

"I guess you're glad to get the chance then."

"I'm thrilled. I won't be leaving until someone makes me go. Unless there's a chance I can go with you sometime," he said.

"I'd be more than glad for you to go, but you know it isn't up to me. I am guessing that you'll be coming along soon though. I have plenty of room for passengers in my house now," I said.

Jorge gave it a rest then and I concentrated on giving them the scenic tour of Atlanta Texas. Since I'd been to Atlanta Georgia before, I knew that they had one thing very much in common, pine trees. In fact, Atlanta Georgia was in the poor house as far as the pines were concerned.

We were taking a detour through the city park when Meka graced us with one or her English words.

"Stop, Daddy," she said.

I pulled off into a small picnic area and then Meka was chivvying everyone out of the limo. When I got out too, I saw the reason. We had called a halt so the Ch'uht'uh dìitsi? could do his business.

The little rascal made a puddle and then decided to dump a load on the park. I could barely believe the praise heaped on him at the successful conclusion. Meka, Wanda, and Ethel went on and on - in two languages - about his prowess in dumping maneuvers.

He hadn't caught a ride on the gravy train; he'd fallen directly into the gravy ocean. He was smug about it too. When he realized he was the star of the show he strutted around as if it were his due.

After a few minutes Meka found the slide and seesaw and the fun was on. She'd climb the ladder and then Wanda would hand her the dog for the trip down the slide. They both enjoyed it immensely.

The seesaw was problematic for a few seconds, until Ethel had me work my end with my hands while Meka and the dog rode on the other end. I had to be extra careful since Meka was holding onto the dog and not onto the seesaw's handle. I didn't want her to fall off.

Thankfully, she wasn't impressed with the monkey bars. I guessed it was because she'd already had the chance to climb as many trees as she'd wanted to. Climbing around on the bars was probably pale in comparison.

Soon enough we were back in the limo and then back to Ethel's house. Meka went in for more lessons from Jorge while George and I put the limo away and came back in his pickup.

"I guess I'll go ahead and take this load down to the house," I told George, when we were back.

"Probably be best. I'll gather up a few guys to help you start unloadin' and send them down there."

I started to go see if Meka wanted to come along but decieded not to disturb her lessons. Besides, I wasn't really too lazy to get out and put my hand on the curb to raise the elevator.

When I got there and lined up, the elevator surprised me by coming up on its own. Now that was service. I didn't now how it knew but I was glad it did.

The whole thing was like that. The elevator doors shut behind me and when it was down to the basement level the others opened too. I headed for the tunnel and it was all automatic. I did have to get out and open the trailer's doors before bumping the dock though.

When I had it in place, I went up into the house and opened the front door. Carl, Jake, Farley, and Cuatro were pulling up in George's Silverado and they had Chuck and Dave in tow too.

We could have used about four or five more. I hadn't bothered to look in the trailer after it had been loaded at Old Towne Antiques, I'd just shut the doors when I pulled away from the dock

The whole fifty-three foot trailer was full of crap, and I didn't have any idea about where Ethel wanted it put. We just carried it into the big living room and stacked it neatly. We'd need guidance from the big house to put this where it belonged.

It didn't take as long as I'd thought it would, mostly because we just made it handier for Ethel to put it where she wanted it. I let the guys out and then returned to the truck. My magic doors worked all the way out too, and when I headed the truck into one of the garage's center doors, that opened for me too.

I still had about an hour before suppertime, so I went back into the house and then the basement and reentered my arms locker. Picking out a bow, a box or arrows, and some practice points I headed into the shooting range.

After a few minutes putting the points into a dozen arrows I set a target at twenty-five yards and began feeling my way for the bull's-eye. I'd used a compound bow a few times but just to get the feel of one. One arrow with this one let me know that it was made even better than I'd thought.

It was extremely smooth to draw and holding it ready was trivial. Hitting the target wasn't though. It was much more powerful than I'd thought and I barely hit in the very top of the target with my first arrow.

After nearly an hour of practice, it was no trouble to get good shots into the big round target at fifty yards, and I considered myself well on my way to becoming proficient.

Actually, I didn't intend to use a bow and arrows more than I had to. I'd be concentrating on using a rifle if I needed to deal with something. Bows and arrows were fine for the Natives, but I already knew how to use a rifle. If I had to shoot something, I wanted to do it with the best weapon available.