Ulysses Dream

by Tim White

  “I said, “You were in Israel and Laos?”

  “There is so much I haven’t told anyone. I served in black ops, and many times I was surrounded by the enemy knowing that I was going to die and praying that there was some way out of hell to come back home. And when I came back home with Aristotle and Plato, they spit on me and you were gone from my life.”

  He was crying, tears running down his face. I didn’t know what to say.

  I said, “This is too much for me to process. Just don’t do anything dumb during the game.”

  “Me do something rash and stupid?” We both laughed. And I cried when I turned and left the room to the field to cheer against him.

  Back in the locker room, with Ulee gone. Patty stood up. “My big brother Ulee is someone I always tease, but he is not only my big brother, he is light-skinned Nez Perce warrior. When we were kids, we had an older big brother named Joey. He was bigger and stronger than all of us. We were pursued by a grizzly bear in the high Wallowas, and it was quite an adventure for us to try and elude this big bear. He grabbed one of my younger brothers from a cave we were hiding in, and our brother Joey took on this ten-foot, thousand-pound bear all by himself. He took him off a 10,000-foot ridge, saving all our lives. Today that bear rug is on our lodge wall, and the elders tell stories to the children about it. There isn’t a day that we don’t all miss our big brother Joey. Ulee has tried hard to be that big brother to all of us. He fought for his country and came into football late. He doesn’t talk about his service for five tours in Vietnam. But somehow his childhood sweetheart and he got separated in all of this. They have a little boy that most of us have met, Telemachus, and his dream is that somehow in today’s game that something will make his daddy win his mommy’s heart. I know that everybody thinks we are overmatched in this game. Shoot, we probably all think that too. But could we go out and beat this team for Telemachus? I don’t know if it will do any good. They may never get back together, but if there is any chance that having the game of our lives will in anyway help—then let’s do it. Let’s win this game not for Ulee—but for Telemachus and his dream that his daddy, Ulysses, and his mommy, Penelope, will somehow have a shot at being together. Ulee wasn’t in the room when this talk came—he was following his tradition of dressing in another room so the team did not see his scars. He walked into the room just as Patty completed his talk.

  When they ran out on the field, there were very few cheers from the few hundred La Grande fans who were spotted among the thousands for the Wolf Pack. Wolf Pack Stadium was an imposing sight with tens of thousands of screaming fans booing the Mountaineers as they took the field. You could see Lake Washington in the distance and the fleet of wealthy yachts anchored there for the game.

  Ulee watched my boyfriend Ace, take the field. It was hard not to like this guy. He was a Christian and visited a children’s hospital every week. He had been good to me and to Telemachus. Ulee watched him rifle the ball; he had a pro arm. Ulee walked over to midfield and called Ace over.

  He extended his hand. “I want you to know that I appreciate the way you have treated Penelope and Telemachus—you are a true Christian, so that makes us brothers. Good luck in the game.”

  Ace smiled, shaking hands and saying, “My my, you are as cocky as they say you are—you are the one that is going to need the luck. But peace, brother.”

  Patty came up to Ulee and said, “Seen enough yet big brother? Stop admiring the enemy. That enemy stands in between you and your family.”

  Ulee slapped and punched his brother hard on the shoulder pads. “Patty, don’t ever compare football to war. Now let’s go beat these guys.”

  The LaGrande kickoff team blasted the ball against the swirling wind into the end zone. Kicker Randy Halvorson was fast becoming a prospect for the pros with his kicking game. But as a basketball player he also had the attention of pro basketball. At the back of the end zone was a Wolf Pack safety who was a world-class sprinter. He took the ball and ran right towards the middle. He was the fastest man that the LaGrande team had played against in three years, and even though the teams matched up in team speed and size, the LaGrande Mountaineers just were not ready to play. The speedy safety took the length of the field for a touchdown to begin the game, and he was untouched as the wedge in the middle of the Seattle return team came out with a vengeance, blocking as if they expected to take it all the way back. With the extra point it was 0-7 Seattle on top.

  Ulee took the field, called the play in the huddle, but forgot to take his mouth guard out.

  His big center patted him on the back. “One more time so we can understand.” Don’t make this game too big in your mind, warrior, even though you are fighting for your wife and child. It’s just football.”

  Ulee slowly called the play, “Johnson carries the ball—let’s show them we came to play football.”

  LaGrande tackle Mike Hernandez was never intimidated by anyone, and as they lined up he heard, the right defensive end yell at Ulee, “I–watched you in game films, Indian, and if we take you out then you don’t have a team. I am going to break your freakin’ arm.”

  Mike sent him flying, and when he landed, the loud-mouth defensive end had a compound fracture. Mike walked up to him and said, “Hey Essay, he’s a Native American, not an Indian, and nobody is going to break my Native American’s arm.”

  The two teams battled to a tie at the half–each scored twice. Rod Halvorson was just unstoppable. Ace and his teammates were rattled and their coach furious. The Mountaineers went into the locker room feeling brazen and invincible.

  The third quarter went quickly. Ulee was such a scrambler the Seattle players couldn’t contain him. He ran for a touchdown.

  Ace stepped up his game, passing for two touchdowns with his rocket arm.

  With the score tied in the fourth quarter, Ulee scrambled, put on his afterburners and slid into the end zone for the winning touchdown. Then he jumped up in the air and slam-dunked the ball on the goal post. The crowd was stunned, and they looked for a flag. I was embarrassed because I was cheering, forgetting my position until one of the other cheerleaders reminded me. There was silence on the field—no one had expected that LaGrande could compete with Seattle’s national powerhouse in its prime. During this silence—when everyone was just stunned, Ulee ran to the Wolf Pack sideline and kneeled down in front of me and pulled from his waistband a ring. My heart was pounding and I started crying.

  “Penelope you are flesh of my flesh, my soul mate, the mother of my child. Neither of us can be happy unless we spend eternity together. Will you marry me?”

  I protested, Ace was standing right there. “Ulee, I am already engaged.”

  Ulee picked me up and kissed me, and as I kissed him back, Ulee said, “You are engaged, not married, so it’s not too late for a happy ending to this fairy tale.”

  Ace turned his back and walked to the tunnel. He didn’t want someone who was in love with another person. A Wolf Pack lineman, insulted by it all, ran up to floor Ulee, and Coach James stopped his team. He never allowed team fights.

  When we finished kissing, I said, “Yes,” and it was all caught on national television. Telemachus ran up and gave both of us a hug.

  Coach James said, “Get back to your side of the field, son.”

  Our wedding was held in June at Joseph Methodist Church. Ulee’s dad Joseph Caleb and his grandfather Ephraim performed the ceremony together. It was a small wedding. Belén was my maid of honor, and Ulee’s best man was his friend Rod Halvorson. Nhung was eight years old and a beautiful flower girl. And our son Telemachus, the ring bearer, was also eight years old and seemed to enjoy it more than anyone. Telemachus escorted Nhung and they were followed by their honor guard, Plato Ho Chi Min Sundown and Aristotle Luau Sundown. We were wrapped in a family-made blanket at the close of the ceremony. It is a native tradition.

  Ulee cried all the way through the service. I just smiled. It was the most beautiful wedding I could have possibly ever imagined. We walked o
ut the front stairs of Joseph’s Methodist church, where two Appaloosa waited for us with a string of pack mules. Ulee put me on my horse, and we made our way for our honeymoon—we backpacked in the Wallowas to Mirror Lake underneath Eagle Cap. This is one of the most beautiful places in the world. Ulee had already set up a teepee for us to spend two weeks in the high mountains that looked like heaven.

  Chapter Ten

  Game of Heroes

  THE NEXT PART of the story was told over breakfast as Grandmother Elizabeth fried trout on the wood stove with corn bread. The girls in the family started questioning me to get me going again. As I drank coffee my mind started waking up with memories.

  There were 2,500 people in attendance during my graduation from the University Medical School. It was hot in the old University Pavilion. Ulee, Telemachus, Nhung, Plato, and Aristotle were all there. I felt their joy and pride in what God had done in my life. Mama Elicia, Pedro, Belén, Grandma Elizabeth, and Pastor Caleb were also there. And then all of Ulee’s brothers—Patty, Jacky, Stick, Whitey, and Heath—were there screaming war cries as they announced my name to receive the Ellen Griep Award, which comes with only 250 dollars but it goes to the graduating MD who was voted by their fellow students to be the most inspirational medical student. It was such an honor to receive this reward from my fellow students. I never have been very good at controlling my tears.

  When they announced my name as one of twelve students awarded an M.D. and a simultaneous Ph.D., I burst into tears. It was a long way from the dump in Tegus. Once a little girl who struggled with English, damaged goods without any personal control of her future, it was a journey from tragedy to triumph. The more I cried, the more my fellow students and family cheered. As the president of the medical school put my hood on my robe in recognition of the degrees, he stopped and gave me a hug. “Your life represents the very best in humanity, Penelope.”

  After the ceremony, my fellow students and professors came over to congratulate me. I was given many offers because of my accomplishments. I even received an offer from NASA to become an astronaut. But I had my heart set on helping children; therefore, I was assigned to the UCLA School of Medicine to specialize as a pediatric neurological surgeon. It was a very prestigious appointment. But almost every person that came to give me a hug asked if they could get Ulee’s autograph. The president of the school even brought a football with him.

  He told Ulee it was for his son, and his wife said, “We don’t have a son.” Ulee laughed.

  Ulee’s four years of college football at LaGrande would not be forgotten, even though he had refused offers to put his name in the draft. Three of his fellow teammates went in the first round of the draft. And two offensive linemen from LaGrande were chosen in the second round. We were very proud of them, but Ulee made it clear—no pro football for him. He was called to be a pastor.

  We were planning on moving to LA, where I would do my internship as a neurological surgeon and he would begin seminary at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena. Now we could finally reach for our dreams together. We felt like such a family—it was just an extra blessing heaped on my fortunate life. The first chance I had after putting the kids to bed that night, I ran to my prayer place (the kitchen) and fell on my knees, letting loose a torrent of silent tears and whispers of thank you to Jesus. There wasn’t a day in my life that I was not cursed by the nightmare of my childhood trauma. Now I would spend my life helping children facing the trauma of medical conditions that could be combated by the skill of a trained surgeon.

  We moved to LA in the heat of the summer in Ulee’s Volkswagen van. He called it Woodstock, or the hippie mobile. He had bought it from a hippie who had taken it to Woodstock. And Pedro, who was an amazing mechanic, helped him keep it running. It was the right size for our family. At rest areas, someone came over and actually thought it was a museum. They were embarrassed when we told them it was our family car.

  While we were getting settled in LA into our apartment over a church in which Ulee’s job was to be the janitor, the kids and Ulee spent as much time running, playing basketball, and going to the beach as possible.

  When Ulee started seminary, he was very excited. Most people in the school did not recognize him as a football player. He just looked more like an Indian. In those days, most of the students were older white men. They were very conservative in their dress. Ulee stood out like a sore thumb. There were a few other Vietnam War vets attending seminary, and they could usually spot one another by the scars or the spots of skin discoloration that came with exposure to Agent Orange. Telemachus and his brothers and sister spent every school break back in the Wallowas, being raised in the old ways by Ulee’s parents.

  They made them run the daily runs with his cousins. And they lived to hunt and fish. Ulee took several trips into the mountains that first year with his kids, even climbing Mount Rainier in the winter together. It was a failure in that they never reached the summit. A huge blizzard came in, and they were snowed in for three days, unlike when Ulee was young, now they had the right equipment and they held out in a snow shelter. It was cold—they laughed together a lot—Ulee rubbed the kids’ feet and legs to keep them from frostbite. They had to ration their food and fuel. There were nights where they just listened to the howling wind, praying that they had picked their spot away from any avalanche danger. Ulee explained to the kids that in life you don’t always get your way. When you are a mountain climber, you work hard to prepare, but the mountain may not let you win this time, so patience is not only a virtue—it keeps you alive.

  When they finally descended the mountain, they were roped together using crampons and ice picks to safely retreat from the peak. At one point, by Camp Muir, an avalanche came down, and a daring run was made to get out of its way. Ulee had the kids glissade or slide down a slope almost out of control using their ice picks to keep some semblance of control. They stopped at the bottom, when Ulee fell into a crevice and the kids had to dig in with their crampons to save their dad. The rope held. It was a lesson in teamwork. It all turned into just another adventure to tell around the campfire at Sundown Lodge. When they told me about it later, their eyes sparkled with confidence and meekness, and I was thankful that Ulee was there to raise them in the way he had been raised—the old way.

  This was a happy life for our family, and Ulee was ahead in credits after his first year of his three-year masters of divinity degree.

  Ulee played pickup basketball at UCLA with his high school friend, split-end Rod Halvorson, who was a first-round draft pick by the LA team. It was during this time that Ulee was discovered by the receivers’ coach after a slam-dunk contest. Everyone was impressed by Ulee’s basketball skills. So one of the coaches talked Ulee into not only accepting a job as the LA team’s maintenance man but to go to the open tryouts.

  When tryouts came, they started with the 40-yard dash. When Ulee ran, the head coach said, I must have miss-timed it. Teams time the forty with three other clocks, and they all read 4.3 seconds. This was the fastest on the team and one of the fastest in the league. It looked like Ulee was gliding. The coach called Ulee’s friend over. Rod was a celebrity not only as a first round draft pick but his twin brother Randy had made the Seattle Space Needles as rookie in the pro league. He would go on to a long career becoming the sixth man of the year and then a very distinguished coaching career in the NCAA and the pros.

  “Who is this guy?”

  “He is from the neighborhood and he is going to surprise you.” Ulee bench-pressed 225—thirty times. His strength put him in the linebacker class. He set the team record on the shuttle run, the three-cone drill, and the standing broad jump. He also had the team’s best vertical jump and threw the ball seventy-five yards with a really tight spiral.

  He was the find of the open tryouts. The team had three great quarterbacks. They were all highly sought after in the league, so it was decided that he would play defense, and he was listed as a free safety backup wide receiver and running back as well as a s
pecial team’s man.

  You can imagine our families’ surprise when Ulee came home and said he had a job playing for the Los Angeles team. The kids were so excited; I was concerned. “What about seminary and becoming a pastor?” Ulee responded, I will probably just make the practice squad and won’t travel.” Well, one thing was for sure; it paid the league minimum, which was a heck of a lot more than the janitor job.

  When our kids bragged about their dad, their friends were skeptical. So Ulee showed up at school with a very recognizable muscular 6’5” Rod Halvorson wearing an LA Jersey. The kids went crazy, asking for autographs of this number-one draft choice of LA. I was there on that day, and I loved the way Telemachus admired his dad. It was really crazy. All the things that people should be admiring such as a moral man and a responsible father really do not hold a candle compared to being a professional football player. But that misperception went both ways. It had been Ulee’s boyish dream to play professional football and he was getting as big of a kick out of it all as the fans were.

  What a surprise it was when in the second pre-season game, I was working at the hospital and everyone started to cheer a player called Ulysses who had just run back a punt for a touchdown. No one in LA seemed to really know who he was, but he became the fan favorite to make the team. I wish you could have been there when we got the phone call from his brother Whitey and every other brother was in the room cheering, teasing, and laughing that he had become a pro football player. He was even interviewed on a local television sports program.