by Sioux Dallas
“How far away is the reservation?” Tom asked excitedly.
“See those posts on either side of the road about a hundred feet back there?” the third man pointed.
“Yes, sir,” both boys spoke.
“That’s the gateway to the reservation on this road. In fact, here’s Chief Straight Arrow coming now on that pinto. Howdy, Paul,” he turned his horse to face the chief. “I’d like to introduce you to these nice people. This is the Jackson family from the state of Virginia. They’re traveling to Alaska to meet Mr. Jackson and live there while he works for our government.”
“Pleasure, ma’am. Young people.” The chief smiled and removed his western hat to bow slightly to them. “I hope you’ve had a good trip.”
“Yeah, but we haven’t been able to stop and look at a lot of things we wanted to,” Tom blurted.
“But we’ve had a great trip and enjoyed being together as a family. Hey, you haven’t met the other member of our family. This is Galena.” Tim, the peacemaker squatted by Galena and threw his arm over her.
“I’ve been noticing what a beautiful, and big, dog she is,” one woman said.
“Yes, thank you,” Irene chuckled. “She is a good girl but if she feels that either one of us is being threatened, then she’s a tiger.”
“That’s the kind of dog to have,” the chief smiled. “Forgive me, but I need to speak to the deputies on a business matter.” the chief and the deputies tipped their hats and rode off to have a private talk. The three women dismounted and came closer to talk to the Jacksons.
“Hi, I’m Pam. This is Sandy and that’s Ginger.” All were attractive women and about the same size. Irene judged them in be in their late twenties. Ginger seemed to be the jolliest one of the group. All were in jeans, western shirts, western hats and boots.
“Can we ride your horses?” Tom blurted impatiently.
“May we, not can we,” Irene whispered.
“Do you know how to ride?” Pam questioned.
“Not really, but it can’t be too hard,” Tom answered anxiously.
“I promised to let them have lessons as soon as possible,” Irene was embarrassed. Pam looked at the other two, raising her eyebrows in a question. They nodded.
“Would you consent for us to sit a youngster on our horses and lead them around?” Sandy asked.
“I don’t want them to be a bother to you,” Irene answered.
“No trouble. Okay kids. Up you go. Now listen up.” Pam took Tom’s arm and led him to her horse. “This is a western saddle which is basically a working saddle. The front piece is called a horn. That’s the place for a coiled rope. Good riders don’t hold the horn unless they’re in trouble.”
Sandy placed an arm around Tim. “I won’t take time to fill your head with a lot of information today. Just listen. Stand with your left shoulder by the left shoulder of the horse, facing the rump. Take the stirrup in your right hand and turn it to face you. Place your left foot in the stirrup on the ball of your foot and step up. Lift your right leg high enough so that you don’t kick the horse. Don’t bang your full weight in the saddle because it might hurt the horse’s back. Their kidneys are under the back of the saddle. Sit up straight. Ready?”
“Sure.” the twins were eager to start while Anna just grinned happily. Galena was whining and wondering what her humans were doing on top of those big animals.
“Shh. It’s okay, girl. They’re doing fine.” Irene patted Galena and sat on a big stump to watch. Galena was trembling with worry and excitement.
All three children enjoyed walking the gentle horses. They made a large circle under the trees. Pam, Ginger and Sandy walked beside their own horse. The women were pleased with how well the children did at a walk and had them practice turning left and right still sitting straight. The ladies gave them valuable pointers about starting, turning and posture. “Are you ready to jog?” Pam called to them.
“Aren’t we going to trot?” Tom asked.
“Trot is English and jog is Western,” Sandy explained. “The jog is slower than the trot. You have to sit up straight, lower your heels just a fraction because the heels act as a brake in the air. Let the muscles on the inside of your thighs absorb the shock. Now squeeze the calves of both legs and lightly touch the outside heel to the horse. The outside being the one on the outside of a circle. Ready? Jog.”
As the horses obediently started to jog, Tom leaned forward and let his toes go down. Before he could think, he was leaning over the horse’s neck. “Help! What am I doing wrong?”
Sandy took charge. “Everyone sit up straight, place pressure on your seat muscles and gently pull back on the reins, then release the reins.” All three horses came to a full stop.
Pam patted Tom’s leg. “Honey, you didn’t do any worse than most people do when they start riding. You let your toes go down and leaned forward.
Always either keep your foot level or lower the heel slightly. Sit up. On horseback, as the head goes, so goes the body. Leaning forward not only throws you off balance, but it can be a body command to the horse to go faster. Let’s try again. Turn to the left and walk on.”
When Tom had cried out, Galena barked furiously and strained to go to him. It was all Irene could do to hold her back. Ginger walked to them smiling. “Is this the first horse she’s seen?”
“No.” Irene told of seeing the horses in Amarillo. She’s just concerned that one of her family needed her.”
“That’s sweet. She loves all of you and obviously you love her.”
“That’s true. She’s been with us as a weanling since the boys were two years old. It’s a mutual admiration.” Irene laughed.
The deputies returned and were surprised to see the children riding.
“Hey there, partner. How long have you been riding?” Ginger’s husband asked.
Tom made a big deal of checking his watch. “Oh, about twenty minutes.”
“No,” he laughed, “I mean in months or years.”
“Like I said, about twenty minutes.”
“Well, buddy, you’re all doing well. Sorry to break up the party, but we have to move on.”
The three children called out, “Thank you,” over and over. They were grateful for a chance to ride with instructions. After dinner they took Galena for a walk. “Isn’t the air nice?” Anna sniffed appreciatively.
“Yeah,” Tom agreed. “You know I’ve enjoyed the trip more than I thought I would. If we just didn’t have to live in Alaska,” he sighed.
“Ummm. The air does smell fresh and clean,” Tim hurriedly spoke before Irene could admonish Tom. “What a difference. I don’t smell exhaust fumes or neighbor’s cooking or any city odors.” They walked slowly back to the motel enjoying the fresh air.
Back in the motel Irene pretended to be interested in the TV Guide so her children couldn’t see her smiling. A lot of groans were heard as muscles spoke their piece about being used so differently during the day. Tom complained the most. Galena looked at Irene and comically rolled her eyes as if she understood the conversation. She gave a big sigh and collapsed on the floor between the beds.
As they walked to breakfast the next morning, Tom scowled. “Why are my thighs so sore? My seat’s even sore.”
“Because, bird brain, you don’t ride a horse every day. If we rode often, our muscles would toughen.” Tim winced as he walked with legs wide apart.
“Mom. He’s calling me names again,” Tom tattled.
“No one is to call anyone names. We must be considerate of each other’s feelings or our trip will be miserable.” Irene walked between the boys.
Later, on the road, Tom suddenly yelped loudly causing Galena to jump up and bark. “We were right by --right by the Navajo Reservation and didn’t even stick our noses in.”
Anna, sitting on the back seat with Tim, reached forward and patted Tom’s shoulder. “Just think how much more fun it will be to see the Grand Canyon. Besides you wouldn’t see anything but small houses and poor animals.”
Around one thirty they arrived at the Grand Canyon. “Stay together, please. This is a big area and there are a lot of people milling around. I don’t want to be worried about any of you.” Irene looked sternly at them. “We’ll save the gift shop for the last.”
Men were on mules riding around answering questions and acting as guides.
“Mom, may we ride a mule? We know how now.”
“Tom, how often have I told you that it isn’t becoming to whine and it doesn’t get you anywhere? Those mules are only for the people riding down into the canyon. Didn’t you hear the guide say the last group had gone down for the day? We’re leaving in the morning.”
Irene turned around to continue taking pictures. When she turned back around, Tim was beside her and Anna was slightly behind her. “Where’s Tom? Where’s Galena?” she asked anxiously. Tim shrugged his shoulders. Anna called Tom’s name aloud and then called for Galena. Irene gazed down into the canyon and began to fear the worst.
“Tom!” she called loudly. People turned to look hearing the panic in her voice. “Has anyone seen a boy who looks just like this one” And a German Shepherd?” By now she was babbling, fighting to keep from crying. Minutes went by while she hunted frantically dragging Tim and Anna along.
A Park police roared up on a motorcycle. “Ma’am. I got a call that someone needed help. How can I help you?”
“Yes, sir,” she gulped on a sob. My son is missing along with our dog.
He looks just like his twin here except he was wearing jeans, a red and white striped shirt and sneakers. You can see this one has a blue shirt on. She was trembling and crying by now. Anna hugged her mother and tried to comfort her even though she, too, was crying. Tim was silent with a white face and a grim mouth.
“Ma’am, we have plenty of officers to look for lost people. We’re experienced in this. You’d be surprised at the number of people who are thought to be lost and have just wandered away from their party. Why don’t you wait in that building so I’ll know where to find you. We can’t have all of you running in different directions. When we locate your son we need to know where to bring him.”
Reluctantly Irene, Anna and Tim went to the building adjacent to the gift shop. Constantly looking back, Irene, with a heavy heart, led the way through a glass door and into a room about thirty by forty feet. Four desks with telephones and a computer on each one and a large wall map of the area proved to be the command area for the officers. A couch, four lounge chairs and restrooms were available.
Two officers soon came in and tried to comfort them with soft drinks, tea or coffee and showing them a water fountain back by the rest rooms. They also assured Irene that her son would be found and well. They soon realized that Irene was not interested in small talk and went to their desks to work.
For once Tim was so frightened, he was speechless. He and Anna sat on either side of Irene and held her hands. Tim’s heart melted as he felt his mother’s hands shaking and knew how worried she was. He told himself that he would give Tom what for when he returned. At the moment he forgot all the times he had caused a worry. “Mom, I hope Tom’s all right.”
Anna shook her head at Tim. “Apparently Galena is with Tom. She’ll take care of him. The policeman did say there were loads of people ready and willing to search. They’ve had training and experience.”
After about half an hour, Tim had shredded tissues around where he was sitting and Anna had silent tears streaking down her cheeks. Irene was rocking her body back and forth. Every few minutes she would moan aloud, but she wasn’t conscious she had made a sound. Tears had dried in gray streaks on her face that had lost color.
The door opened and a joyful bark penetrated their sadness. “Galena!” Tim and Anna both cried out at once.
“Did you find Tom? Did you find my son?” Irene asked anxiously as an officer entered with Galena.
“Well, ma’am, here’s your wandering son.” An officer answered as he came in with a hand on Tom’s shoulder.
“Oh, Tom,” Irene sobbed as she hugged him tightly. “I don’t know whether to beat you or hug you. Where were you? I told everyone to stay together. We’ll discuss this later after I’ve had time to calm down.” She turned to the officers. “Forgive me. I do thank you with my whole heart. I’m so sorry a child of mine caused you trouble. Thank you for finding him. Where did you find him?” She was shaking and babbling with tears streaming down her face. The officers smiled.
“We had a radio call from the guides that went with the last riders in line. By the way, that group is staying overnight. The guide said he thought he saw someone trying to walk down. They turned a bend and he didn’t get a good look, but he radioed us to check it out,” one officer said.
“When we got to him, this young man was on a narrow part of the trail, backed up against the cliff and looking down into the canyon as if he were frozen in time. The dog wouldn’t let us near him. We had to stand back and keep talking until he responded and could reassure the dog that we were friendly,” the second officer laughed.
Tom looked at Irene with a trembling lip and a catch in his voice. “Mom, I’m truly sorry. I didn’t think how far down it was. I thought I could go down and be back before you’d miss me. It’s only a mile.”
Tim snorted. “Goofy. It’s a mile straight down. The trail curves around so that mules can walk without falling off. I don’t know how far down it really is. You’re not indispensable, you know. Why did you take Galena with you and risk her life?”
“I didn’t take her,” Tom sputtered with tears in his eyes. “She followed me. Boy, you should have seen her. She wouldn’t let the officer close and she stood in front of me for fear I’d fall off. She’s a real good guard dog.” Tom fell to his knees hugging Galena, but truthfully, he wanted to hide his red face and tear-filled eyes against her fur. She wriggled in happiness.
“You’re fortunate to have her,” an officer said. “It’s true, she wouldn’t let us near the boy until he roused enough to talk to her. He was a little green around the gills. I hope this young man has learned a valuable lesson that things aren’t always as appealing as they seem.” He put an affectionate hand on Tom’s shoulder. “Promise me you’ll stay with your family from now on and let your mother know where you’re going if you do separate from them. Your family loves you and your mother’s heart was in great pain when she lost track of you. They didn’t know whether you were badly hurt or abducted by a dangerous person.”
“Oh, yes, sir. I promise. I’ve learned my lesson.”
“For how long?” Tim muttered as he knelt to hug Galena.
“Ooooo Tom. I could shake you until your teeth rattle,” Irene scolded. “I was so frightened not knowing what had happened to you.”
“But, Mom. I knew you wouldn’t let me go down and we didn’t get to ride the mules. Some how it was more frightening to look down from where I was standing than from the top.”
Anna spoke through gritted teeth. “Thomas Harrison Jackson, you left us here worried sick and all you can say is you thought you’d be back before you were missed. For all we knew some evil person could have knocked you out and kidnapped you. Or you could have fallen off and been killed, and you know Galena would have jumped off after you. How could you have put her through that? I thought you loved her and us. How thoughtless and selfish.” She began to cry.
“Anna,” Tom sobbed, “I do love Galena and I do love all of you. Yes, it was thoughtless. I wanted something and was going to get it regardless of the outcome. I’m truly sorry. What more can I say?” He was now sobbing uncontrollably.
“Stop it,” Irene spoke firmly.
Tim was standing looking at Tom in amazement. He never thought Tom would break down like this, especially in public. Maybe -- just maybe Tom was truly sorry. After all, Tom was his twin and they had always been close and stood by each other through everything. Tim placed an arm across Tom’s shoulders. As tall and big as they were, they were still young boys.
“We’re all emotional and might say things we’ll regret,” Irene said. “Let’s keep quiet and go on.” Her eyes were sad, but as the mother she had to take charge and keep her family together.
Irene placed an arm around Tom as they walked out to the station wagon.
They were trying to get to the vehicle and not look at the people who were staring curiously at them.
Tom looked at his mother. “Mom, I’m ---”
“Shh. Don’t talk. Again you’ve caused needless worry. Your dad will be so disappointed when he hears of this.”
“Mom! Please don’t tell dad,” Tom begged between fresh sobs.
“We don’t hide anything from each other. That would be like lying. Let’s put it to rest for the time being. Please, please don’t wander off again. Try to be more mature and consider how others might feel as a result of your decisions and actions.”
Tom nodded and crawled into the back seat. Anna prepared to drive. Tim came back from walking Galena and got into the front seat. Irene put Galena into the back of the wagon and got in beside Tom. The silence hung as heavy as a thick curtain while they returned to the motel.
They went to dinner and little was said. When they returned to the motel Anna and Tim took Galena for a walk. Tom was uncomfortable because his mother was silent and his siblings were not talking to him. Tom jumped into the shower and crawled into bed, waiting silently while Tim and Anna took turns showering and dressing for bed.
Galena sensed sadness and whined until Tim encouraged her to get on the bed and cuddle a while. Tom’s chest felt as if something heavy was sitting on him. With a great sigh Galena slid off the bed and took her spot.
The next morning the twins walked Galena saying only what was necessary. Galena was left with her breakfast and clean water while the family went silently to their breakfast.