“Ma’am, where are his parents?” Nate asked slowly and quietly. The lady appeared to be having great difficulty in breathing.
“They are gone, dead. They died in an accident when Ben was around seven years old. My daughter, his mother, was off to some retreat with her husband, Ben’s father, Sitting Bullshit.” she said sarcastically. Nate could tell she did not like the man. Part of her statement explained that at least half of Ben was Native American.
“I’m sorry to hear that. Don’t you or Ben have any other family that can take him?” Nate asked. Nate would even try to help get him to another family he thought.
“No, we have no one else. My husband died a few years ago. He is buried out back on the family lot. We don’t seem to have much luck in the family living very long.” she said, nearly in tears.
“I’m sorry Ma’am I didn’t mean to upset you. My name is Nate Michaels, you are lucky, I just happened to have on my radio when I heard you asking for help. Tell me what you are sick with?” Nate asked.
“I have terminal lung cancer. I had planned to go to the hospital for treatments before all the shit with our economy. The state would have taken Ben, and I wouldn’t have had a choice.” Nate considered her words.
“Well, they would likely find a home, and he is a teen, so maybe he would adjust fast?” Nate wasn’t sure what to say anymore. She smiled at his words.
“Nate, my grandson is Autistic. You understand what that means? He needs to be with a family” she replied as she cried more. “Not the State” she finished.
“I’m sorry for asking this of you, but I won’t likely make it till morning. If you hadn’t heard my cries for help, which I have been doing for weeks now, he would be alone and die. I hate to be so honest, but it’s the truth” she said gasping for air after the long sentence.
Nate knew she was right. He couldn’t just walk away from this now. The boy would certainly die way out here secluded in the mountains. He needed more information from her on so many things. However, time was limited. Ben came back with a tall glass of water. He was slow in his movements but seemed fully alert to her. She took a sip and spoke to Ben.
“Ben, you know I’m very ill, and we have talked about this before. I am talking to Nate here about when I am gone up with your mom and dad. Can you say hi to Nate?”
Ben turned to Nate but didn’t look up all the way.
“Hi, Nate,” then turned his attention back to his grandmother.
“Ben, can you go grab yourself a sandwich? It’s time to eat.” She told Ben. Ben strolled off into the dimly lit home.
“Do you have power in the house?” Nate asked. “I have limited power of a solar grid in the back. We only get the grocery once a month when a local company picks us up and takes us. Well, that’s changed, and we are nearly out of food. Nate, Ben is what they call high functioning autistic. He can grow up to do normal things and live a healthy life; it will just take work and time.” she said. She coughed up some more. It was then that Nate noticed many Kleenex with blood in a basket.
This was all so much to consider. Regardless, Nate could tell the lady was truly ill. She couldn’t even get up let alone take care of herself or Ben. He wasn’t going to have much of choice but to take Ben along with him.
As the night grew darker, Betty became sicker. She wasn’t talking much, and her breathing became more labored. Nate sat near her on the floor. Ben was still holding on to her hand. She spoke.
“Nate, on the mantel, is a small wood box, when the time comes there is important stuff in the box I already prepared for Ben’s travels. You will understand when you open it.” She said.
“Well let’s not worry about stuff like that right now, just get some rest, Betty,” Nate said trying to reassure her even when he knew she might not make it through the night. Ben was falling asleep sitting up. Nate didn’t know how late it was but was getting tired himself.
“Nate tell me about your family, where are you from?” she asked in a raspy voice.
“I’m headed home to Texas; I was in Montana when all of this stuff happened. I’m 39 years old and not married nor do I have kids. My parents are still alive I hope, and they are why I’m trying to get back. I have about 400 miles still to go. I primarily work on a ranch that is run by my family.” Nate said.
“Oh, Ben loves animals! Do you have cattle and horses?” she asked seemingly excited by the notion.
“Yes, we use horses for the cattle,” Nate said. It was then that Ben woke and turned to Nate.
“Horses?” Ben asked. His face seemed to light up with the question.
“Yes, I have a few, and everyone in my family has them. You like horses, Ben?” Nate asked.
“Yes, I know a lot about them” Ben replied.
“Nate, Ben is like an encyclopedia when it comes to certain things and animals. He does love horses. His father often said it was because he is part Indian. I think it’s because he wants to be a cowboy” Betty explained with a fading voice. Nate heard her whisper to Ben. Ben sat up and stood, then kneeling down beside her. She reached her arms up and hugged him. Nate watched her kiss him on the top of his head. Her arms fell beside Ben and went limp. Nate knew she was gone. She must have known it was coming and wanted to say her goodbyes to Ben. Ben stood in silence with a slight whimper turned to Nate and spoke.
“She went to be with mom and dad. Will you take me to see horses?”
The kid’s words nearly broke his heart. Nate would never have imagined 12 hours ago the events that were now unfolding before him. In the time that passed, Nate found himself in someone else’s backyard looking for a grave site. He found the husband's tombstone and then went to find a shovel on the property. He kept Ben busy getting his things together and anything from the home he needed to take. This included family photos and anything Ben wanted. Nate finally found an old rusted shovel near what use to be a garden. He got to work on digging near the husband’s resting spot. After what seemed hours Nate finally dug out a deep hole large enough for the old lady. He went back inside and allowed Ben to say his last goodbyes to her before Nate would move her.
“We said our goodbyes when she kissed my head. I will see her again someday, Mr. Nate” Nate was taken aback. The kid wasn’t being unemotional but seemed very mature aside from the slight confusion of addressing him as Mr. Nate.
“Ok, Ben. I understand” Nate replied and allowed Ben to get back to his packing his two backpacks. He had many things all laid out in small organized piles. Nate returned to the living room and gathered up a few old quilts. He wrapped Betty in several. Then he hoisted her up into his arms. She was tiny and not heavy. He carried her outside and laid her on a cardboard box near the hole while he jumped down into the hole and then pulled her in. He was gentle and careful, trying to be respectful. He laid her down in the bottom of the grave. He pulled himself out and paced himself to bury her.
It wasn’t long before he had completed the task. Nate then walked around the property looking for anything he could make into a tombstone. He didn’t see anything and went back inside. Nate found in the living room a large wooden cross; it would have to do for now. He wanted to mark the grave in some way and decided the best way was to add her to the husband’s stone. He went to his pack and removed one of his knives and went back to the little graveyard.
The knife easily carved out Betty’s name just below her husband’s. He carved in the day for her death. That’s about all he could do. He said a little prayer over her grave and stood thinking about what he was about to do. The life he would now have suddenly cast into his hands. What in the name of God was he doing?
The two loaded out backpacks were massive, but Nate didn’t say a word. Ben seemed to be proud that he was able to fit everything in them. Nate did his best to lock the old home up. He almost forgot the wooden box and went to it. Inside were Ben’s birth certificate and other papers about his health and school records. The school was out right now, maybe for good. Then when Nate reached the bottom of the box
, he found nearly $50,000 in 100 dollar bills, with a note that just read “Ben’s education money.”
Well, someone was looking out for Ben, and this would help if the economy ever recovered, Nate thought to himself. He carried the wad of papers and money out to the Ranger where Ben was waiting in the passenger seat. Nate stuffed the material into his pack, which was strapped in the back cargo area along with two backpacks, three full gas cans, and some smaller water containers. They would be loaded down and going much slower.
It was nearly sunrise, and Nate wanted to leave. He would find them a place in a few hours to rest, but he wanted to get away from this place now. Ben seemed wide awake, but he was a teen. He could remember being his age and up all night at times just to sleep the next day.
“Are you buckled in, Ben?” Nate asked.
“Yes, Mr. Nate” he replied. Nate ignored it again. He was going to address it later, for now; he just wanted to get down the road. The Ranger pulled off slower than before, the weight was going to do that, but he pushed on the pedal, and it seemed to reach another gear and off they went.
Chapter 15
Mr. Nate
Sometimes life handed you things that you could never have imagined. Nate, for his age, had done and seen a lot. He had been around the world to many countries, fought many battles, and lived in many places in some of the harshest conditions. Nothing had ever prepared him to be where he was now as a kid. He drove the Ranger downhill now having put nearly 30 minutes since they left the old lady’s house. He looked over at Ben, and he was now sleeping. He thought now that maybe they should have just stayed the night at the house, but Nate was a little superstitious about that. It was just how he was. Maybe it stemmed from something in his childhood, but the thought spooked him a bit. No, he needed to get out of there and get going.
Nate had left the road some time ago and was now following a ravine. Going off road had woken Ben up. Nate was attempting to take a shortcut to get back up to the main road east of Rustic. His route had to change. He would be going much further east than he liked, but the addition of someone to care for changed the game. His original route would have taken him across mountains and through some pretty rough terrain. It would have meant camping out at higher elevations, and he wasn’t sure how Ben would adapt to the changes. Nate was confident in his abilities, but to push it with a kid wasn’t fair to either of them. He would only go as Far East as he needed to stay on the main roads but they would be far from the larger populations of Fort Collins, Denver, Colorado Springs and all the surrounding cities east of the mountain range. Finally, he reached the main road and was headed east to a turn to the south.
“Ben, we are headed to a place called Estes Park,” Nate said.
“Ok, I think I have been there once long ago. They have lots of salt water taffy.” Ben replied.
Nate thought that was an odd thing for a small town in central Colorado to have, but hey, he had seen stranger things.
The short ride to the exit to turn south went fast. Nate had managed to keep the speed up to about 35. He had seen a few others on the road, but they were in a much bigger hurry than him. He turned right onto county road 27. It felt good to be on somewhat regular roads but kept in mind the increased populations he was near. The road was a real paved road. The hum of the Ranger was loud, but he was moving in the right direction. The people he saw on the roads waved mostly on bicycles loaded with backpacks, but a few were driving and never paid him any attention. The next turn off would be coming soon and headed west to Estes Park. From there Nate would go south and through the mountain roads avoiding the dense populations of cities like Denver and Boulder. Nate looked over at Ben, who was making a strange face.
“Ben, are you ok?” Nate asked. Ben looked at Nate.
“Bathroom” was all he said.
“Sure, but we have to go outside. I will find a place, and you can go behind a tree” Nate said looking ahead for a place to pull over. Mountains surrounded them, and it had been awhile since he’d seen any people.
“That place right over there looks pretty, I love how the wind blows the branches back and forth, like a person waving a flag,” Ben said pointing way up ahead at something Nate didn’t see yet. Nate saw many trees blowing in the wind. Then Ben pointed again. The tree was at least 200 yards away. He closed the distance fast, and Ben acted jubilant to be under the tree. Nate turned off the Ranger and looked around the area.
“Ok Ben, it’s safe here.” Ben was already off and headed to behind the giant Douglas fir. He didn’t take long and was soon around the tree. Nate noticed how the winds were starting to pick up speed. The clouds were coming in from the west quickly, and it was obvious a storm was brewing.
“Ben, we have a storm coming, think we will need to cover things up and make a little camp, ok?” Nate asked.
“I have never been camping, Mr. Nate” Nate would take the time during their little camping expedition to go over the use of Mr. Nate.
Nate covered the Ranger with fabric that was made to cover it custom fit. The tarp like material was waterproof. Nate had removed his pack and one of Ben’s choice and set up the small tent he carried. He was glad it was a three person tent. The winds were howling as he tossed in their packs. He held the tent flap open and allowed Ben to crawl in first.
“Ok Ben take out the roll, lay it out, then move over onto the pad.” He did so swiftly and almost in one motion then sat straight up legs crossed waiting for Nate.
“Ok, done, Mr. Nate” he replied. Nate climbed in, laughing to himself. Nate was discovering he had patience for this kid. It had been a long time since he had been around kids. His brother and sister had several. He figured they were all fine, being only miles from Mom and Dad. The ranch was a family affair, and even the not so little kids all worked doing something. That’s when Nate realized Ben was about their age.
“Ben, how old are you?” Nate asked. Nate pulled out some water bottles.
“I’m 16. My date of birth is 2002. I’m old enough to drive. Can I drive that golf cart?” Ben rambled off. Nate nearly choked on his water as he handed Nate his bottle.
“Not yet, Ben, we have to keep moving, but when we get home I will let you, ok?” Nate said.
“Where the horses are?” Ben asked.
“Yes, and you can ride them also” Nate commented. Ben looked euphoric about riding a horse. His face seemed to brighten up the interior of the dark tent. The clouds grew dark, and the rain was starting to spit lightly. It wasn’t too long before the rain was pouring down on the tight surface of the tent. The sound was enough to put anyone to sleep. Ben was acting sleepy as he was busy reading some book he had in his backpack. The pack was torn in a few places. It was an older Jansport school type. It was blue and black with a thermos pouch on the outer pocket made of mesh. Nate placed another water bottle in the pouch.
“Is that my water?” Ben asked.
“Yes Ben, you are old enough and strong enough to carry your water bottle like I carry mine,” Nate said pointing over to his bottle sitting in his pouch pocket.
“Thank you, Mr. Nate” That time for a talk was now.
The conversation went well. Ben seemed to finally grasp the concept of using the last name of the first name when saying Mr. It was harder for Ben just to say, Nate. Nate explained to him that they are and would always be friends and friends just say the first name. Nate was curious about Ben’s upbringing but didn’t know how much he could tell him.
“Ben, did you go to school?” Nate asked not expecting a whole lot of information.
“I went to Montessori school when I was little, then a grade school, middle school and was in my junior year of high school when everything closed down,” Ben replied. Nate tried hard to hide his expression of surprise. Nate didn’t know much about the topic of autism or what Betty called high functioning autism but now figured this was self-explanatory. He could function at a higher level. Nate just hoped society returned to some degree where kids, in general, would be able
to learn again. It would be up to parents now to start to teach their kids all subject matter until that day came.
“Well that’s great, Ben” Nate complimented him, and Ben smiled.
“Do you have favorite topics?” Nate asked. Ben looked as though he was thinking then answered.
“I have many Horses, animals, math, and space. I think that’s it” Ben replied, still looking like he was thinking. Then he spoke again.
“Girls? I want a girlfriend someday” Nate laughed inside to himself. This kid was pretty average, maybe more so than most realized.
“That will come in time. It might be best to focus on the other stuff, for now, Ben, often when you’re looking, you don’t find one. It’s when you’re not looking that love finds you” Nate replied.
“Well, I hope she finds me fast, I have lots of love to give. My grandmother told me to find a woman who loves me and love her a lot.” Ben said.
“Well, your grandmother was a smart lady, Ben” Nate replied. Ben had tears in his eyes.
“I will always love her,” Ben said. Nate was silent.
The two had fallen asleep. The heavy beating of the rain did it. It was still pouring down, but the water was running off and downhill keeping things pretty dry. The tree did help a lot. The Douglas fir was enormous and spread its branches out casting some protection to its residents at the trunk. Nate awoke and did not wake Ben; he let him sleep. He removed the map that Cartwright gave him. Nate meticulously planned and measured out most of the way home. His path took Nate west of the major populated areas as best he could, stay in the shadows of the mountains or them. There may come a time when he would have to chance some portions of an interstate, but for now, would follow the suggested routes. After getting to Estes Park, he would travel to the town of Allenspark. From Allenspark, he would just keep heading south. The good thing was many of the distances were not that far between towns. The average was from 9 miles to 68 miles apart. The greatest distances would be when he was near leaving Colorado.
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