by Leah Matheny
Well before lunch, Honon went to get Liwanu and headed to see his mother. “Oh, you’re early. I don’t have lunch ready yet.”
“That’s okay. What can I do to help?”
They ate lunch early and Wuyi stayed while they talked. Sitala got up to retrieve what Dani had written. “Here are the phone numbers for Huyana’s home, her work, and her friend Tamara, who’s a lawyer. First, you need to have a few handfuls of gold to exchange for money. There’s no telling how long it will take you to convince Huyana to trust you again. In fact, flowers might be good. You can buy them at the hospital. You’ve already been to Mammoth to exchange gold, so this time you need to head southeast of Mammoth. Hopefully, you’ll find the town of Bishop. Ask around for a place that can board your horses for you. Make sure you remove the blanket covering on the horses before you enter town. If anyone asks, tell them you prefer to ride bareback. Buy more clothes. You’ll need to buy a sack called a suitcase to put everything in.”
She looked at their hair. “You better not wear your hair in braids, just one ponytail down the back. When you get to a town, after you exchange some of the gold…I would only exchange maybe a small handful at a time, you don’t want to draw too much attention to yourselves…ask where the buses stop and for a bus schedule. Huyana said the hospital where she works is in the city of Orange. I assume you’ll want to go to her, not call her on the phone?”
“Yes, I want our first communication to be in person. Dani will have a harder time ignoring me that way,” Honon said with a smile.
Sitala described buses to them, and how to use a payphone. “I know I’ve told you before, but there are many dishonest people out there. They’ll try to trick you out of your money or steal from you. Now luckily the two of you are so big that that should lessen the chance, but there still is that danger. Hmm, let’s see…taxis. If there isn’t a bus station close by, you may have to ride a taxi to the station.” She explained about the meter and how they should tip the driver. “Once you get to the bus station in Orange, you’ll have to take a taxi to the hospital.”
“If you get into any trouble and the police want to take you to jail, call Huyana’s friend, Tamara. Tell the police you refuse to talk to anyone until your lawyer gets there, her job is to help people. If she can’t, she’ll find someone for you who can. Now, she may not be too happy with you after you hurt her friend, but her job is to help. If anyone asks for your ID, that’s your identification, say your wallets were just stolen.”
Sitala continued. “Now, when you need a place to sleep, look for a motel. Remember that name, not a hotel, but a motel. It’ll be less expensive to stay there.” She told them how light switches, toilets, and showers worked. “You can NOT sleep outside, you could be arrested. Look for diners or restaurants to eat your meals. Again, diners will be less expensive than restaurants. You can ask to see a menu before you’re seated. Also, after you eat, the waitress will bring the bill to you. You’ll have to leave a tip for her on the table when you leave.” She explained how that worked.
Wuyi entered the conversation. “And how will you explain the sudden reappearance of our Huyana? Everyone here thinks she is dead.”
Honon smiled. “I already thought of that. We’ll say we found her out hunting. That she learned to hunt when we brought her here, also she learned during her ‘hunt’ with Kosumi and Liwanu. She’ll say she found a cave to live in, that she was lost and didn’t want to wander farther from her people. She was waiting and hoping for hikers to find her.”
“Hmm, I think that will be good enough.” Wuyi nodded his head. “I will say how is not important, only that Huyana is back with us safely is what is important.”
Sitala continued, “I’ll make biscuits with penicillin for you. Make sure you eat all of them because of all the diseases out there our bodies aren’t used to, especially at the hospital. During all your time there, make sure you wash your hands a lot. Don’t eat food without washing your hands first. Try not to get too close to other people or touch many things.” She sighed deeply. “Well, I can’t think of anything else to tell you. I’m sure the outside has changed considerably since I was there. When will you leave?”
“I think we’ll wait for there to be no snow for three more days. That will be three weeks without it. We’ll come to you before we go on our ‘hunt’ to say goodbye and see if you have any other instructions.” Honon hugged his mother and clapped his hands on his father’s shoulders.
The night before they were going to leave, Honon and Liwanu headed to talk with Sitala and Wuyi. “As long as it doesn’t snow tonight, and it doesn’t look like it will, we’ll leave early tomorrow morning. Mother, did you think of anything else to tell us?”
“No, I think I covered everything…I hope I did.” She handed him a small bundle. “Here are the biscuits with penicillin. Remember to eat one each day. Here’s some penicillin powder to mix with your food for your return trip. Oh wait, I just thought of something else. In the hospital, more than likely you’ll have to ride in an elevator.” She explained how it might look and how to work it.
Wuyi walked over with five small pouches of gold. “Remember, this is not a buying trip. We do not want people to know where you went.” He also gave them cash, brought back from previous trips. “In case you need money before you sell the gold.”
“Yes, Father.” Honon hugged both of his parents. As they were leaving, Honon turned around. “Father, I will not shame you again. I apologize.”
His father bowed his head. “I trust you will not. May God be with you on this trip, my son, may He guide you and keep you both from harm.”
Honon and Liwanu headed out before daybreak the next day. They rode hard when they could. Honon didn’t want to waste any time getting to Dani. Soon they found a road, and before anyone could see them, they changed into the clothing they’d brought with them and followed the road into town. After they found where to board the horses and walked back into town, they exchanged some gold for cash and purchased everything they needed. At the store, Honon asked for the bus station.
They hit a stumbling block when looking for buses--there weren’t any. Liwanu and Honon were told that the easiest way they could get to Orange was to hitchhike or charter a private plane. “And with that mean look on your buddy, I doubt many people will stop to pick you two up,” said the man at the counter. “You can use my phone to call the Mammoth Airport if you like.”
Honon thought quickly, “You know, I’ve never done that before.” He dug in his pocket for some money. “Can I give you this fifty to make the arrangements for us?”
The man’s eye’s popped open. “You got it. I’ll play secretary for a bit.” He yelled for someone to cover the register and went to the back of the store. In a little while, he yelled for them. “They can take you to Chino Airport, you can get a taxi and go where you want to after that, sound good?”
Honon nodded.
The man went back to talking on the phone. “Yep, two of ’em. Okay, just a sec…” He put the phone down and looked at Honon, “I need your names.”
Honon quickly tried to remember names his mother had told him. “I’m Rob Honon and he’s Tom Leewan.” He didn’t want to stall too long over their names; he didn’t want to make the man suspicious.
The man finished. “I gotcha flights out tomorrow morning at ten. Just take a taxi outta here at nine and you should be fine.” He handed them all the information he had written down.
They ate a horrible dinner at a diner. Even though they were dressed like other people, they got a lot of stares. Honon wondered if they were doing anything wrong, not realizing what striking men they were. They found a motel and the smell was disgusting, so they went to sleep with the door open. The next morning they took cold showers, not knowing how to work the one-handled faucet.
Honon knew about airplanes from his mother and he’d told Liwanu about them the night before, but he still wasn’t quite sure what to expect. And he couldn’t hide his shock when the pilo
t walked them over to the plane and chuckled and said, “Never flown in one so small, huh?”
Honon and Liwanu shook their heads.
“Alrighty. Tom, you climb in the back seat. Rob, you sit up front with me.” When the plane lifted into the air, Honon thought he heard Liwanu groan. Honon’s first instinct was to jump out of the plane, but it was already too high in the air. He heard a sound…I didn’t just whimper, did I? Honon felt the plane jerk and bounce, then, the back of his seat was jarred when Liwanu tried to stand up and hit his head on the low ceiling. “Let me out…I will walk,” Liwanu yelled in Miwokan.
The pilot yelled, “Sit down, do you want me to crash?”
Honon groaned and thought he was going to be sick. The pilot handed him a small paper bag, “If you’re going to throw up, do it in this.” He also handed one to Liwanu. Luckily, the feeling soon left and Honon was amazed at the sights and how much land there was; he could see forever. He still held the armrests in a death grip while he peeked over his shoulder and was astonished how the cars looked like ants on the ground. He heard Liwanu groan and he felt his stomach flip when the plane made a sharp turn, making him grateful when they landed. When they climbed out of the plane, Liwanu still looked like he felt sick and he had a murderous scowl on his face.
The pilot gave him a quick glance and moved away from him. “Here you go,” the pilot said as he gave Honon a card. “Here’s my card. You just call me the next time you need a ride. Head into that building there and they can get a taxi for you,” he pointed.
The taxi ride was another harrowing experience. Honon and Liwanu sat together, filling up the back of the taxi. When they looked at each other, Honon could completely empathize with Liwanu’s look of horror. Cars were all around them moving at incredible speeds. Honon kept waiting to be hit by another car or one of the huge trucks that were big enough to hold at least six cars. They soon reached an area where there was no open land, buildings were everywhere, and the sky wasn’t clear--it looked dirty. He couldn’t believe the size of the hospital and wondered how it had been made, what was used to hold up all that weight.
When they entered the hospital, they headed to the information desk. “I need to know if Dani is working today, she works in baby delivery.”
The woman looked at the men and tried to keep her jaw from falling open. “Um, Dani…there’s a Danielle Richardson on Labor & Delivery. Do you want me to call to see if she’s on?”
“Yes, can you do that for me please?” Honon asked with a smile.
She turned beet red. “Um, yes…um, just a moment while I check.” She made a call. “Yes, she’s working now.” She told them the directions to the nurses’ station where Dani worked.
“Can you also tell me where to buy flowers?”
The woman pointed toward the gift shop and stared at Honon with her eyes open wide and her chin down to her chest. When they walked away, Liwanu stopped Honon. “Do you want me to wait here for you?”
Honon thought about it. “No, come with me for now.” He saw the store and went in. A woman came up to them. “May I help you?” She asked.
“I need flowers.”
“What’s the occasion? A new baby, or is someone sick?”
“They are for my wife…she will be my wife. I…I have not seen her in a long time.”
The woman sighed. “Well then, you must give her roses. They are the flower of love.” She handed Honon a bouquet of a deep red flower. He paid, and Liwanu walked with him into the elevator. He was finally going to see Dani again.
Chapter 15
At the appointment, Dr. Whittam told me I was progressing as I should be. “There’s only one thing, I’m going to request you shorten your work hours. No more twelve-hour shifts. For the next month, you can only work an eight-hour shift. I may change it to even fewer hours after that.”
Yeah. That sounded good to me. I headed up to start my shift and looked for the supervisor so I could tell her the changes that needed to be made. One of the doctors told me to look in the break room. When I entered, I was greeted with a room full of people, balloons, and a pile of gifts. “Surprise!” Everyone shouted.
“You’re giving me a surprise baby shower! You all are wonderful, thank you.” We sat there eating cake while I opened presents. Every once in awhile someone would have to leave to go tend to a patient.
I worked my shift and it was busy as usual; my back was aching by the end of it. When I was heading to the break room to get my presents, Karen caught up with me. “Hold on just a sec and I’ll help you carry those down.”
We were walking toward the elevator when Karen stopped. “Whoa, check out the eye candy in the waiting room,” she said with a little hum of pleasure. I looked around her to see Honon walking toward me. Karen turned toward me at the sound of my gasp. “Dani? You’re white as a sheet.”
My heart was beating so hard, I could hear it in my head. “Honon?” The presents slipped out of my hands. He looked down at my stomach and slowly raised his eyes, his brows were scrunched in confusion.
“I thought our baby died?” He asked me. I could hear Karen talking in the background, but I didn’t understand what she was saying.
“I lost the twin.” He’ll never believe it’s his. “Did you say our baby?” I felt someone moving me away. “I don’t understand…how…” Someone pulled me down in a chair and Honon came to stand in front of me. “Are you really here?” I didn’t recognize my voice. I tried to swallow, but my throat was too dry and I started coughing.
“Can you bring her some water to drink?” Honon said. I didn’t see who he spoke to. He sat back on his heels in front of me and placed a bouquet of roses on my lap, then, he took my hands in his. I wanted to pull away--I wanted to grab ahold of him.
“Dani, I came to tell you I’m sorry, I know I was an ass. I came to say I believe you, I trust you. I came to say I love you and want you to come home.” He kissed the inside of my hands.
“But I…how did…” I looked around. I saw Liwanu holding Karen’s arm. “Liwanu?” I whispered. Some of the nurses were standing there watching us. I couldn’t come up with a complete thought, much less a full sentence.
Dr. Jacobs came up. “Danielle, is this man bothering you?”
Honon stood up to his full height and he towered over Jacobs, who quickly took a step back. I stood up fast to stop a potential fight and wobbled with dizziness. Honon picked me up and held me in his arms. Karen spoke up, “I have a truck that’s big enough to fit all of us. I doubt these two big boys could get you home, and you’re not in any condition to drive.” She picked up the bouquet I’d dropped, and she grabbed the presents she’d been carrying before. Karen turned to Liwanu, “Come on, handsome, grab the other presents,” she winked as she turned toward the elevator. I looked at Liwanu and laughed. I’d never seen such shock on his face.
When we got to Karen’s truck, Honon wanted to hold me on his lap and I explained the seatbelt law to him. On the drive, Honon was kissing me and telling me again how sorry he was and how much he loved me. I just kept looking at him with a million questions running through my head. We got to my house and Honon picked me up again before I was completely out of the car.
“Honon, I can walk. People will think there’s something wrong with me.”
“I don’t care what other people think. Now that I have you, I’m not letting you go, ever.” He kissed my forehead.
Karen had opened my door with my keys. “I’ll order some food delivered,” she called out.
Honon sat on the couch with me in his lap. “Tell me about the baby, what happened?”
“But…you’re here…so much time…” My head started to clear and I sat up straight. “Sitala, how is she…and Papina…and Helaku?” I looked back and forth between Honon and Liwanu. “I’ve missed you all so much. I thought about you so many times.”
Honon laughed. “Well, I hope you missed me a little bit more.”
I could see his dimple. I grabbed his face with both of my hand
s and kissed him. “I never thought I’d see you again.” I kissed him deeply.
“All right, you two, get a room. I’ll keep this big boy company,” Karen said. I looked over at Liwanu and chuckled. That was the second time I’d seen shock on his face.
“Dani…the baby?” Honon said with his eyebrows raised.
“What?”
“The baby, I want to know about the baby. You’re still pregnant,” Honon said as he kissed me quickly.
I told him about the cramping on the way back from the bath and about having the miscarriage, about having to have a physical in order to get my job back and learning I was still pregnant with the twin. The food came while I was talking and Honon still hadn’t eaten anything by the time I’d finished telling him everything. “You haven’t eaten.”
He looked at the food with distaste. “Your food here isn’t very good.”
“Oh, and your food was a real treat for me. It’s steak, beef…it’s not that different from what you have at home.”
I realized I hadn’t made introductions. When I said Liwanu’s name, Karen opened her eyes wide. “Liwanu,” she said as she looked at him. “Liwanu?” She said again looking back at me. I knew she’d just realized that Liwanu was the one I’d told her about, the one who would be perfect for her. I smiled and gave her a wink.
I jumped up. “You finish eating and I’ll be right back. My bladder holds even less now that Jack Honon is taking up so much room.” I turned to walk away, but Honon grabbed my hand and stopped me.
“What are you talking about?”
“Jack Honon, that’s what I’ve named our son.”
Honon still looked confused. “But you sound so sure. I know women have ways and they guess, but…”
I started to tell him about sonograms.
“Dani, show him the sonogram pictures,” Karen said.
I grabbed them from the drawer. “Here, look at these. I’ll be right back.” When I returned, Karen was sitting on the couch with Honon and Liwanu; she was squeezed in between them pointing out the body parts in the pictures. I could see her neck was red and I knew Liwanu had an effect on her. At least I hoped it was Liwanu, and not Honon.