As the Eagle Flies

by J. D. Oliver

  “Sure, no problem, it’s sure nice to have you and your kids with us, Hope. How are you liking it so far?” I said.

  “It’s a dream come true for us. I always wanted a big family, now I have one.”

  “The same goes for us, it’s nice to have the house full. It’s what I always wanted too.” I said.

  I stopped and fed Luke and Matthew, then went to the barn and checked horses and mules. I was some glad that we didn’t have milk cows, they tied you down morning and night. Then I went to the chicken coop, it and the chicken yard was all fenced in with chicken wire. When I was a kid, we let the chickens free range, but now it was simpler to keep them in one spot. Safer for the chickens also. I tossed them some cracked corn and then gathered the eggs.

  I stopped again at the mules, I noticed that there was no manure around where they were standing. “Where are you guys going to the bathroom? I asked them. They sort of tossed their heads toward the garden. I looked over there. Sure enough they were placing it in a nice pile close to the garden. All we’d have to do is shovel it where we needed it. Now how did they know to do that? Well at least there would be no stinking mess beside the kitchen door.

  As I went through the kitchen door, Hope said, “You’re just in time with those eggs, wash some of them off for me, then crack them in that bowl, would you?”

  I did as instructed. We had both white and brown eggs. Now I always favored brown ones. Now most people can’t tell the difference, but I could. Mom always said that I was nuts, but I knew better.

  By the time we was done, we had platters of sausage, potatoes and eggs, along with hotcakes. “Hope said, “I sure wish we had a milk cow, I always liked home churned butter. Plus the cream is always better. I like buttermilk, homemade. Can we get a milk cow?”

  I had just counted my blessing that we didn’t have one, but I said, “Sure, no problem, do you know how to milk?”

  “Yes, I learned when I was a little girl, these kids need to know how to milk and churn butter, don’t you think?”

  “Yeah, sure, shouldn’t everybody?” I said.

  “I’m glad you agree with me, if we get one, I’ll make up a milking schedule. That way it won’t be a burden on any one of us.” Hope said. Then she added. “I see that there is a separator in the pantry, it looks like it hasn’t been used in years though.”

  “It hasn’t, but it’s all there, I’m sure. It’s still the old hand turned one. But I guess I could rig up an electric motor to it.” I said.

  “No need to, the cranking will be good for everybody.” Hope said.

  Everyone trooped in at the same time, I said, “I bet you’ve all been just waiting till we got breakfast on the table, to show up, haven’t you?”

  Mary Jane said, “I don’t know about everyone else, but Faith and I were.”

  “Okay, just for that, you Mary Jane can say the prayer this morning.” I said.

  “Are you sure, I thought the man of the house had to do it?” She said.

  I grabbed up a tea towel and tossed it to her, “put that on your head, the Bible just says that when a woman prays in the congregation that she has to have her head covered, so there.” I said. She wrapped the towel around her head and gave a prayer that made mine sound juvenile. She even used Jehovah’s name and closed in Jesus’ name.

  “Where did you learn to pray like that?” I asked.

  “My Uncle, he was sent to Siberia in the 80’s, he never came back.”

  “I’m sorry, that must have been just before the Berlin wall went down.” I said.

  “Something like that, I don’t know for sure. Pass the pancakes will you?”

  All of the kids kicked in to clean the table off and do the dishes, even Alita helped. Hope said that she would keep an eye on Alita and Iris. I told Hope that she could put them up on the back of their mules, that they could baby set for awhile.

  The three of us went out to the barn and we saddled up Brutus, Nick and Diablo. Rosie said that Mary Jane could ride him. Mary Jane knew how to ride, as I suppose all Sinti Gypsy did. The horses were raring to go, Brutus and Nick hadn’t been rode for awhile. Of course Rosie had been riding Diablo almost every day. Tiff had been riding one of the new ones that Hank had been working with. Dog stayed with Hank.

  I made sure we left the saddle guns at home, I didn’t want it to look like we were hunting trouble. We had enough fire power anyway.

  We let the horses run, that is after they got warmed up a little bit. It was about ten miles over to Old Man Dithers place. They were still branding. They were gathered in a flat about a mile from the house. I could see them working as we rode up. Well not all of them were working, just the old hands that used to ride for Dithers. There were six hands just lounging around doing nothing. I could pick out that Joe Cummins, and one other man that I recognized right away, that made eight that were packing guns. The one I recognized? It was that lawyer that was with Dipper Tick, the one that I knocked out before. I think his name was, Delbert Westinghouse. Faith recognized him also.

  I reined in watching Joe Cummins, I could tell by just looking at him, that he was just a front man. He was both arrogant and stupid. Stupid because I knew by the expression on his face that he was going to try and kill me, and that this day would be his last. He was leering at the women. Delbert said something to him, he shook off his advice.

  I said, “I hear that you think that we’re responsible for some losses that you say you’ve experienced.” I figured we might as well get right to the point.

  “Yeah, that’s damn right. You’re a thief, get down off that horse, I’m going to beat you to death and then I’m going to screw your women.” Brutus danced around, I just let him, making it look like I couldn’t control him. Brutus knew what he was doing, his rump came around about three feet from Joe Cummins, he kicked out, catching him right in the face. Blood and snot flew all over the place. He was down like a pole axed steer.

  A bullet bounced off of my saddle horn. I dropped from the saddle, my gun in my hand. Mary Jane and Faith were both down on their knees firing. Six of those thugs were firing at us, I guess their leader going down in blood and gore unnerved them, because they were missing a lot.

  But not for long, because they were falling like fall leaves in a blizzard. I only got one of the six. Old Man Dithers hands were standing there with their hands in the air, we ignored them. Delbert was couched down on the ground with his arms over his head. He was screaming “don’t kill me, don’t kill me, I’ll tell you everything.”

  I walked over to Delbert, I clubbed him over the head, I sure hated the sound of his voice. Next I went over to Joe Cummins. I knelt and felt his neck for a pulse, there was none. I checked him over, no bullet holes, well chalk up one for Brutus.

  Faith and Mary Jane were checking the other six, they looked at me and shook their heads. “They all dead?” I asked. They just nodded, reloading their clips. I looked at the Cowboys. There were eight of them. I said, “You guys Okay with this?”

  One of the cowboys was an old fellow that I knew from when I was just a little shaver, we called him Yankton, cause he was a Sioux from the Yankton reservation in South Dakota. He came over, “Well Clay, it took you long enough. I sent up a prayer weeks ago.”

  “I’m sorry Grandfather, for being so slow. I haven’t completely recovered from the coma I was in for six months. I will do better next time.” He wasn’t my Grandfather, calling an elder Indian Grandfather was a sign of respect.

  “Is Old Man Dithers alright? Red said that they bought him out, is that right and that he left the country?”

  “He is locked in the basement. The land never changed hands. I think they just wanted to lure you in, so they could kill you, they hate you real bad.” Yankton said.

  “Why do they hate you so much?” He added.

  “I don’t know Grandfather, perhaps it’s not me, perhaps it’s the Great Spirit that they hate so much.”

  “How did you train your horse to do that?” Yankton asked. />
  “I didn’t Grandfather, Brutus has a mind of his own, I think the Great Spirit sent him to me. Just as he did my wife Faith and her cousin Mary Jane.” They both came over and held out there hands to shake, instead Yankton hugged them both. The rest of the hands hadn’t moved, I think they were still in shock.

  I got in my saddle bag and got my cell phone, I called Harry Silver, yet again. “How many? He yelled. “Take it easy Harry, they started it, I have Delbert Washington, he’s still alive, he said he would tell us everything, that is when he wakes up.” I said.

  I turned back to Yankton, “Why don’t you send in one of your hands to free Old Man Dithers, he must be getting right down tired of that basement.” I said. I could hear Harry’s helicopter coming by the time I heard Old Man Dithers coming, they both got there at the same time.

  Dithers came up to me, “Clay thank you so much, I thought they were going to kill me. Yankton thinks that God sent you.”

  “As to that, we’re all just tools of his aren’t we?” I said. Then Harry started in, I just walked away, saying back over my shoulder, “talk to all of them, they seen it. Delbert’s waking up, put the screws to him.”

  “You just wait a minute young man, I want to talk to you.” He said running after me. I stopped, “Okay, okay, what do you want?”

  “What do you know about the disappearance of Pete Frank?”

  “What the hell do you mean? You’re the one who has him in custody.” I said.

  “Not anymore, he was supposed to be picked up by Homeland Security this morning, we went to his cell to get him and he was gone, with the cell door still locked. How did you do it?”

  “Really Harry, how in the hell could I do that. There must have been someone on the inside who helped him escape.”

  “No, no one was there. The camera was trained on him all of the while, one second he was there the next he was gone.” Harry said.

  “Well maybe you’re like Yankton over there, he thinks the Great Spirit sent me, maybe God took him.” I said. Harry went away cussing, then he turned back, “Here,” he said, “is your badge and I.D. You’re now a special agent of the FBI, why in God’s name they made you one is beyond me.” He said, stomping away.

  Mary Jane and Faith had been right there all of the time we were talking, Mary Jane was smiling, I said, “I suppose that was your Great Grandfather’s work, right? Freeing Pete?”

  “You got that right, don’t ask me how he does it, I don’t know.” Mary Jane said.

  Faith said, “So now you’re not only an agent for New Mexico, but now the FBI? What do they want you to do?”

  “I haven’t the slightest idea, nothing I hope. I sure don’t know what’s going on.”

  “All I know is, that it has been one wild roller coaster ride since I met you. And I like it.” She said, jumping up and putting both of her legs around me, kissing me like there was no tomorrow. Well maybe there wasn’t.

  Mary Jane said, “You two aren’t going to do it right here, are you?” Faith let loose, “No, but I sure could, have you ever felt like that?” she asked Mary Jane.

  “Yeah, at times, with my husband. I sure miss him.” Mary Jane said.

  We walked back over by Harry Silver, he had calmed down. “Well, what did Delbert tell you?” I asked.

  “It’s that damn Dipper Tick again. But Delbert said that the orders came from someone higher up, he doesn’t know who. But he wants protection, he’s say’s he will give us all the details. All I know is that the body count is getting way too high.”

  “It’s not my fault, if they keep trying to kill me, maybe I should just let them do it, how would you like that?” I said.

  “Don’t tempt me, cause I just might do it myself.” Harry said.

  We mounted up and rode off. Mary Jane said, “Isn’t it strange that they keep giving you these badges and stuff and don’t want you to do anything?”

  Faith said, “Yes, I find it more than strange, weird even. And I don’t like it, it’s like they are setting you up for a fall.”

  I looked at my wife, she just could be right. But I was slowly preparing for it. The fall, not them precipitating it. Who knows what Satan has in mind.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “Clay, Clay, wake up! Shit, he’s winked out again,” I heard Faith saying, as through a fog. Mary Jane said, “How often does he do this?”

  “It’s been over a month since the last one. And that one only lasted for a few minutes. He’s been quite for at least fifteen minutes, I thought he was reading, then I looked over and he was just staring straight ahead.

  “Does he often read in bed?” Mary Jane said.

  “Yes, of course, when we aren’t doing something else.” Faith said.

  I could see them, like through a mist, tho. Then their images started to clear up. “Mary Jane, are you naked again?” I asked, although I could see that she was.

  Faith said, “Well where were you this time?” I looked at her, she was dressed just like Mary Jane, “How come your outfit is prettier than Mary Jane’s?” I said.

  “It is not,” Mary Jane said, “we’ve both had the same number of children, I defy you to find any differences in our bodies.”

  “I’m sorry Mary Jane, you’re right, but you see Faith is my wife, as such, she could be an ugly old witch, and she would still be prettier to me, than you.” Faith hit me over the head with the book that she had been reading.

  “Hit him again for me.” Mary Jane said. “But he is right, and that is how it should be. I hope my future husband is as nice as this lazy lout is.” Mary Jane said, then added, “Scoot over, I want to hear where he has been.” Then she got in bed beside Faith.

  They both looked at me like I was going to reveal all of the secrets of the universe.

  “It’s not where, but more of a time. I seen more of the way things will be in the so called time of the end. It was not pretty. What I don’t understand is why they keep doing this to me?”

  “It must have something to do with that hole in your head, it must give them easy access to your pea sized brain.” Mary Jane said.

  “Mary Jane, if that’s all you can do, is make fun of my husband, you can just wiggle that tail out of here.” Faith said, with a giggle.

  “Seriously Honey, we don’t know why, but there must be a reason. So do you have any details?”

  “I don’t know if I should share them with you, are you sure you want to hear a few?” I said, as I got up and padded to the bathroom. As I was standing there turning the water yellow, Mary Jane said, “Do you need any help?”

  “No he doesn’t, besides that job belongs to me.” Faith said, as she got out of bed and came in. “Put something on, a towel even. You know she hasn’t had any sex since her husband died.” Then she handed me a bath towel.

  “What about you two running around naked?” I asked as I wrapped the towel around me.

  “Oh, that’s alright, I keep you satisfied, that’s right, isn’t it?” She said with a tone that I had better agree with. “Yes, dear it is.” I said. We went back in.

  “Alright I’ll tell you a little bit. It has to do with the economy. At least it starts out that way. You remember reading about the crash of 29, don’t you?” They nodded, I went on. “Well that was nothing, a little blip compared to what’s going to happen, world wide.

  First the stock market completely falls apart. Can you imagine what would happen if it did? I see by the expression on your faces, that you do.

  You know, I think that’s all I’m going to tell you, it’s enough, and believe me anything that you can imagine will be tame to what really happens. So just read between the furrows in your brain and multiply that by the freckles on your butts and you’ll be pretty close.”

  “But you really didn’t tell us anything.” Mary Jane said.

  “Yes I did. Even though the freckles on your derriere have nothing to do with it, I just thought they were cute. You see, if the world’s economy tanks, everything breaks down, everything. I
don’t like to think about it, but now you two can be just as miserable as I am. That’s why I don’t like to talk about it.”

  “By the way, is it morning or night?” I asked.

  “It’s night Honey, are you tired?”

  “Yeah, I think I am.” I looked at Mary Jane, “Is she going to stay here or what? If she does, she sleeps on the other side of you.” I said, as I turned out the lamp beside my side of the bed.

  “May I,” Mary Jane said, “thinking about what he said, makes me depressed.”

  “Sure,” Faith said. I said, “I told you that you didn’t want to hear it.”

  When I woke up the next morning, I was in bed alone. I looked at the bedside clock, it was six in the morning. I got up and got dressed, going downstairs, I could hear everyone already eating breakfast.

  “Good Morning, sleepyhead,” My beautiful wife said. “We saved some food for you.” I filled my plate, for some reason they always saved the place at the head of the table for me.

  Hank was setting beside me. “Hank, how are you coming with the horses and mules?” I know I asked him that before, but I had more of a pressing reason. “Why don’t I come out after breakfast and we’ll talk some more?” He nodded.

  Hank was already leaning on the corral rails, waiting for me. Dog was setting beside him. Hank and the Dog had become buddies. We were all watching the mules eat.

  “Do you see how there is a pecking order? Some of them are what you’d call Dominant?

  “Yes, of course, everyone knows that?” Hank said.

  “Yes, but the order of animals in a pack string will either make for a harmonious trip or a feuding pack. I know you’ve been with these guys for awhile, so you know each one of their so called, social status, don’t you?” He nodded again, not quite sure where I was going with this.

  “Okay, there are four things I want to talk about, #1. Dominant animals. #2. Herd mates. #3. Caboose, or the rear of the string. #4. Horse among Mules.

  “Why are you telling me this? Hank said.

  “Did you notice any other men at the breakfast table, but you and me? No, you didn’t. Look Hank, there may be times that I won’t be around, you’ll have to take the lead in the family, especially if we’re out in the wilderness.”