As the Eagle Flies

by J. D. Oliver

  I hitched the trailer to the pickup and drove over to the house. I went in the house to help with the packing. Faith already had most of it done, she was in our bedroom getting dressed.

  She was standing there in her Bra and Panties. She was fixing a holster to her thigh to hold her small pistol. The holster had a sheath for a knife also, the knife was a stiletto. “Where did you get that?” I asked.

  “From my Grandmother, when I was a little girl.” She said.

  “A stiletto, that’s some what unusual, isn’t it? I haven’t seen it before.”

  “I guess, to some it could be. But you see, my Grandmother came from Germany, she was, or is, I guess you could say, a Sinti Gypsy. She taught me how to use it.”

  “How are you going to reach them through your jeans?” I asked.

  “I’m not, I’m going to put on a skirt and blouse, I don’t need jeans to ride in the truck do I? Can’t I dress frilly once in awhile?” She said, as she put some long Gypsy ear rings in her ears. The skirt was colorful, along with a plain white blouse, she was a knockout.

  “I didn’t know you were a Gypsy, but I like it. What’s Alita going to wear?”

  “Jeans and tee shirt, what else? Plus Daisy made some moccasins for her, they’re cute. Do you mind changing her big girl diaper, then get her dressed will you? I have some sandwiches in the kitchen, that I want to put in the cooler.”

  Alita was standing in her crib, watching us. I went over and took her out and laid her on the bed, I said, “When are you going to start using the potty?”

  “Well,” She said back, “when are you going to help me do so. I can anytime you know. Everyone has been so busy, they don’t have time for me.”

  I just couldn’t get used to her talking like a grown up, “Okay, young lady, how about right now, I’ll take you, and when you want to go from now on, just pull those pants down and go, how’s that?”

  “Alright Daddy, but you have to set me on the toilet, I’m too small to get up there on my own, that is unless you make a step or something for me?”

  “Yes, I can do that, when we get home from Montana.”

  “Daddy, when are you going to get me a gun like Mommy’s?”

  “Oh, I don’t think for awhile yet, you’re not even two years old yet, are you?”

  “No, but soon. Will you get me one then?”

  “We’ll see, I’ll have to ask Mommy, she’s the boss you know.” I said.

  “No she’s not, well over me she is. But you’re the boss Daddy, you know that, don’t you?”

  “Sweetheart, you just keep believing that, but I do have mommy’s permission to say that I am.” I said, as I lifted her off of the toilet.

  Faith came back into the room, “What’s the hold up, you don’t even have her dressed.” She said.

  “Alita says that she wants to use the toilet from now on, but that we have to start paying more attention to her, since she can’t get up there by herself.” I said.

  “Yes, Daddy, and don’t forget to ask Mommy if I can have a gun like hers.” Alita said.

  “What’s this, you want a gun like mine?” Well, not for awhile yet, but I do have a small stiletto like mine, but you have to be careful with it, it’s very sharp. And it’s only to be used as a last resort, to save a life.” Then Faith went to a drawer and took a small knife and sheath out, “I’ll put it in your diaper bag for now. When we get home I’ll spend some time showing you how to use it.”

  “Mommy, I’m not going to need the diaper bag anymore, didn’t you hear, I want to use the toilet from now on.”

  “Well, be that as it may, we’ll just take it along anyway, Okay?” Faith said.

  “Alright, I’ll play like it’s my purse and keep my private things in there. Just like you do your purse.” Alita said.

  “Honey, my purse isn’t all that private.”

  “I heard Daddy say it was, he said that it was against the laws of nature for a man to get in a woman’s purse.”

  “When did Daddy say that?”

  “One time when we were still at Grandma’s house.” Alita said.

  “Do you remember everything from long ago?” Faith asked.

  “Yes, what do you want to know?” Alita said.

  “Nothing right now, you just don’t tell other people, besides Mommy and Daddy anything that you may remember or see or hear, they are family secrets, Okay?” Faith said.

  “What about Rosie, can I tell her?”

  “Yes, Rosie is your sister, she is family.” I said.

  “Alright, come you two, Rosie and Tiff have everything in the truck.” Faith said. We went downstairs. Rosie was a little misty eyed, she hadn’t been away from us since we first got her. I told her, “don’t worry, we won’t be gone long. I’m going to have the Hoeffer boys keep a close watch on the house, so if they seem to be hanging around a lot, that’s what their supposed to do. Don’t kill them, Okay?”

  “Alright, as long as they know their place, I don’t want them peeking in our windows.” Rosie said.

  It was almost lunch time, most of the hands were just coming in for lunch, I went over to the cook shack. I corralled Chip and Dale and told them what I wanted them to do. They were more than happy to do so. Turns out they had been eyeing Tiff, I told them to watch out for them, not to get too familiar. That Rosie might take exception and shoot their ears off. Dale said, “Yeah, that Rosie, she’s a pistol, sometimes I get a chill, when she levels her eyes at a person. We know our place, don’t worry.”

  I pulled Red aside and told him as much, told him to give the boys chores close to home, so they could keep an eye on the house. “You mean I’m going to lose two more hands from the branding?”

  “Yep, I guess so. Why don’t you go to town and hire some temporary hands, I am sure there are some cowboys who would like some day work. Pay them over the going wage. But make sure you know them, don’t hire any strangers, okay?” He said he would.

  Rosie told us later when we got home, that they couldn’t go anywhere without those two brothers right on their heels. Even when they rode out to the drilling rigs, the boys would saddle their horses for them and never let them out of their sight. When she got on them about it, they told her that they were more scared of me, than her.

  We finally got underway about one that afternoon. We headed over to Basin and then over to Cody, went north from there, till we got to the Sunlight Basin road, then up through the mountains to the Cooke City highway. Then into the Park, we always called Yellowstone National Park, just the Park. Then over to Mammoth and then the few miles out the North Gate to Gardiner. We got a room at the Best Western, they had a place we could park our horse trailer. From there we went to the Town Café for supper. A lot of the locals ate there. Didn’t take me long to find out about some mules; turns out one of the Outfitters up the North Fork, out of Jardine, had some mules for sale. I got his cell phone number and gave him a call. Told him I would buy twelve of them if he had that many. He did, I made arrangements to meet him there in the morning.

  I had got the Honeymoon sweet at the Best Western, it had a heart shaped hot tub and a heart shaped bed. But what I liked best, it had a separate room for Alita. Alita liked that hot tub. We didn’t let her stay in it very long, about five minutes. It’s not too good for little kids. The hot water made her sleepy though, she went right to sleep when we put her to bed. You can bet that Faith and I did not go right to sleep though….

  The next morning it was raining a light mist, the clouds were hanging low. We went to the restaurant right here at the Motel. There were a few tourists already eating. We sat by the wood fireplace, the warmth felt good.

  While we were waiting for our food, I used my cell phone to call the Brand Inspector and a local vet. When you hauled stock over the state line, you had to have a current brand inspection and a clean bill of health for the livestock. I made arrangements to meet them both at the local fair grounds after I got down the road from Jardine.

  Faith had hiked her skir
t up a little bit, to let the heat in better. The bottom part of her holster was showing, just a tad bit. There was a little girl of eight or ten watching us. She had leaned over to her mother and whispered something, the woman looked at Faith and got up and came over to our table.

  “Would you mind pulling your skirt down just a little, your gun holster is showing, my daughter was wondering what it was. I’m a Detective from Los Angeles, I knew what it was. I also seen the tip of the stiletto, I am a Gypsy also, I knew right away you were one too. My name is Mary Jane Hunter.” She said, as she held her hand out to Faith. Faith took it and shook it. Faith told her our names. While they were talking Faith had pulled her skirt down to cover her thighs.

  Anyway, they hit it off. Her and her daughter were traveling alone. We pulled up a couple of more chairs so they could set with us.

  “So Mary Jane,” I said, “are you on vacation or what?”

  “Well, sort of. My husband was a police officer and he got killed in a shoot out.”

  “Oh, we’re so sorry!” Faith said, holding her hands.

  I was looking into her past, she glanced up sharply, looking at me. “You, you’re one of them aren’t you?” She said to me.

  Faith said, “One of whom, my dear?” as she glanced back and forth between Mary Jane and me.

  “Your husband, he’s been there and back hasn’t he?”

  “Been where?” Faith asked.

  “He’s been dead and then came back, he can see places that most people cannot. I know, because so have I.”

  “Well, he’s been shot and in a coma for six months. Plus he blanks out every now and then. So I guess you could say that he’s been there and back. You say that you’ve been there also?”

  “Yes, three years ago, I was shot in the head, but my coma only lasted for three months and I don’t blank out, I’m fine now. But for awhile I was having all kinds of hallucinations. Did you have them?”

  I looked at Faith, she nodded, “Yes, but mine are more than figments of my imagination. They are just as real as we are talking right now. What were yours about,” I asked.

  “The future mostly, ghastly stuff, I don’t even like to think about them. Yours, what were they about?” She asked.

  “Some of the same. What’s your daughter’s name again, I’m afraid I didn’t quite catch it?” I said, just to change the subject.

  “Iris, I’ve always liked Iris’s, so when she came along I named her that. Hunter is my maiden name, I went back to it, when John got killed. I hate LA, we sold everything, including our old car, we just rented this one. We are just sort of driving aimlessly, just stopping here and there.” She said, still looking at me.

  Damn, I could get right in her mind, but she couldn’t quite get in mine. They were like lost souls, hunting for a home. Alita looked at me, then said, “Mary Jane, can Iris take me over to the curio shop, I would like to look at the souvenirs.”

  Mary Jane gasped, “What? What was that?” Faith spoke up, “Oh, I’m sorry, she’s somewhat of a prodigy. She surprises us also.”

  Mary Jane said, “Let me take her over there, Iris can come too, I want to talk to her some more.” Mary Jane picked Alita up and the three of them went to the curio counter.

  I said to Faith, “I can get in her mind. They are sort of lost souls, what do you say, do you want to help them?”

  “Help them, how?”

  “Well, they could come with us, being that she is a Gypsy too, she didn’t say what kind, Sinti or Roma though did she?” I said.

  “How do you know there are two different kinds?” Faith said.

  “You told me, didn’t you?”

  “No, have you been in my mind?”

  “Well, aren’t I always, we are one flesh, you know.”

  “Yes, I want to help them, while you go get your mules, I’ll talk to them.” Faith said. With that, they came back to the table.

  “My but Alita is smart, did you know she knows her alphabet?” Mary Jane said.

  “No, not really, but it doesn’t surprise me, our other daughter Rosie, has been teaching her all kinds of things. I wouldn’t be surprised if she knew how to read.” Faith said.

  “She does, she knows how to read,” Iris said. “she was reading labels to me.”

  “Well, that’s good, Iris.” I said, “Since we are done eating, I’m going to go get some mules that I have bought. Perhaps, Mary Jane, you and Iris would like to go back to our room, where you and Faith can get better acquainted?”

  “Yes, I would like that. Being that we are both Sinti Gypsy’s.” Mary Jane said. “How did you know I was a Sinti?” Faith said.

  “Oh, I’m sorry. Didn’t you tell me? Or did I just assume as much?”

  “It seems that all of us have more in common than we realize.” I said.

  When I went out to my truck, I heard a rustling in the back, my pistol came into my hand of its own volition. Sticking its head out from under the tool box was a Border Collie pup, about six months old. He whined at me. “Well boy, where did you come from? Are you hungry?” I knew he was, I remembered that lunch that Faith had packed, we hadn’t eaten any of it, it was in the cooler in the back seat. I reached in and got a couple of liverwurst sandwiches, they were a favorite of mine, the dog liked them too. He was a little wet, so I got some rags out of the toolbox, and dried him off, then I let him jump in the front seat with me. Of course he smelled like a wet dog, but that was Okay with me.

  The road up to Jardine was paved, I was glad of that, cause the first part of it was sort of steep. The town of Jardine used to be an old gold mine, the buildings were right up to the road. The outfitters place was about a mile further, at the end of the road. He met me at the gate.

  I asked him how things were going, he said, “How do you think? Those damn wolves are going to bankrupt me. I have about thirty head of mules, I don’t need that many anymore. How many did you say you needed?”

  “Twelve, that’s all. Can I take my pick?”

  “Sure, I saved the ones I’m going to keep, they’re in a different corral. Just take your pick out of the bunch over there.” He said, gesturing to a corral with a stream running through it.

  Dog and I, ambled over to it. The mules turned to face me. The outfitter called after me, “Watch out, some of them are right down mean.” I crawled through the rails, they watched me with their ears in the alert position. I walked among them, silently talking to them, “so who wants to go with me, it’ll be an easy life,” I said. I got a question in return, “how many do you want?” they asked.

  “Twelve,” I said. They put their heads together, then twelve of them walked toward me. That left two of them. I heard another question, “are you sure you can’t take all of us?”

  “Well,” I said, “yeah, probably could, it might be a little tight, is that okay with all of you?” They nodded their heads. “Okay then, just follow Dog and me, we’ll load you up, we have to stop at the brand inspector and the vet has to check you over.” I said, silently….

  “I thought you wanted twelve, not fourteen?” The outfitter said. “Do you have a certified check?” He asked.

  “How about cash, is that good enough?” I said. I counted out 57,000 in cash, “three thousand apiece, is that right?” I said. He was licking his lips, “I’ll need a bill of sale on each one.” I said.

  “Sure,” come to the house, I have them all made out, all I have to do is sign them.”

  “Why don’t you go get them as Dog and I load them up, how’s that?” He went to get them.

  As they got in the trailer, I assessed their overall health, I asked each one how they were as they jumped in. They were all fine, except for a few aches and pains and scratches. When he got back I took the papers and looked them over, then handed him the money.

  As we headed down the mountain, I asked Dog, “did any of them seem mean to you?”

  He went “Arf, Arf,” I said, “you’re going to have to speak English, I don’t speak dog.” He gave me a big smile.
“Well Okay then, we’ll work on that.” I said.

  I drove to the fair grounds, it was small, but they had a good Rodeo every spring, it was big enough. The Brand Inspector and the Vet, met me there. All I had to do was open the trailer rear door and they backed out on their own. I paid extra for a permanent brand inspection on all fourteen head. They all checked out, vet wise. I paid the vet his fee. “Can I leave them here till I get my family, we might want to stay another day, would that be Okay?” I asked the Brand Inspector.

  “Sure, they’ll be alright here, there’s hay and water, we won’t even charge you for it.”

  I went around to all of the mules, telling them to just rest and take it easy, that we’ll leave in the morning. Dog followed my every step. When I got back to the Motel, they were all gathered in our room.

  Faith and Mary Jane were setting there sipping coffee in their bras and panties. “Uh, what’s going on?” I said.

  “We were comparing our sheaths, you know for our stilettos. Look at the bra Mary Jane gave me.” Faith stood up and walked over to me. There were two handles sticking out each side of the bra, where the under wire should be. “Isn’t it neat, now I can carry them even when I wear jeans.”

  “Uh, yeah, but what about?” I gestured to the neither regions. “Oh, we were trying on each other’s thigh holsters. Clothes just get in the way.”

  “You don’t mind that Mary Jane is standing there in a thong. Do you?” Faith said.

  “No, I don’t, that is if you don’t?” I said.

  “Honey, we’re both Sinti Gypsy’s, we’re sisters in the hood, you might say. We look at nudity different than some people.”

  “Yeah, I can see that.” I said, Mary Jane spoke up, “If it makes you uncomfortable, we can put clothes on?”

  “Well perhaps. But no, don’t. I’m not so shallow that lack of clothes will turn me into a raving sex maniac.” I said, as I did my best not to look at Mary Jane. “But to get back to what’s important, did you two talk?”