Part 2 - Part 12

I wanted to know more about Jean and how she was doing. The thought of what I had done to her haunted me like a reoccurring nightmare. Unfortunately I had no means of contacting her other than to drive to the reservation.

I wanted to call Sylvia. I could have got her number from Gloria’s mother but I didn’t. I hardly knew Sylvia, plus she had her hands full with the farm. I didn’t want to bother her. Emily for sure had gone back to work and I didn’t know her parents. I decided I wasn’t going to bother them or her.

I even considered calling Maria but every time I tried I chickened out at the last minute.

All these things were happening to me, I concluded, because I was living alone and away from human contact. I vowed this would be my first and last winter here, if I survived it. I wanted to go home to Toronto but I had to find a way so as not to put my friends in harms way. I also had to leave under good terms and tie all loose ends.

If I left, I was going to leave the base to Oscar and his people but I had to find a way to pass it on without creating attention or causing problems.

I ran out of rakia sometime in late January. It was too treacherous to drive my truck to town and I didn’t want to drive the beast just to get my fix of booze so I decided it was time to quit cold turkey.

The hardest part about giving up drinking was not the cold sweats or the alcohol demons, it was the boredom of having nothing to do and nothing to quiet my mind.

After a couple of days of tearing my hair out I decided to take a shot of the firewater I had been carrying around for months.

Moments after I gulped it down it gave me such a rush and a focused mind that I got hold of the tank and I tried to lift it. I felt very powerful as I grabbed the back of the tank and tried to lift it up. I watched images of my life flash through my mind at an incredible rate. I managed to revisit everything important I had done in a matter of a few short moments. And, even though I couldn’t budge the tank, everyone I saw in my mind was happy and smiling at me.

Then, suddenly, I was on my ship alone, spiraling out of control and crashing down. I saw myself die but I wasn’t dead.

Sometime later I found myself lying by the tank on the garage floor unable to move. Every part of my body was paralyzed. I was aching. I had terrible pain everywhere. I felt very calm and serene like I had fought in a battle and I had won.

All I had to do now was heal my wounds and I would be fine.

My priority was focused on getting healed and I was at peace lying there on the dirty cement floor. I had to get well and nothing else mattered. I wasn’t thirsty, hungry, bored, or anxious. I was just happy to be alive lying there immobile. My mind refused to allow me to think beyond that.

What was the most important thing in my life today, I asked myself. The air I breathe was the answer. If there was no air to breathe I would die in a matter of minutes.

What was the second most important thing in my life today, I asked myself. The water I drink was the answer. If there was no water to drink I would die in a matter of days. I wasn’t worried, I had plenty of time.

What was the third most important thing in my life today, I asked myself. The food I eat was the answer. If there was no food to eat I would die in a matter of a week or so. I wasn’t worried, I had plenty of time.

What was the fourth most important thing in my life today…

“Stop it, stop it,” I heard myself yell. “I’m not a robot powering up after a crash. I’m a human being and my priorities vary according to circumstances.

I tried to do something impossible under the influence of a powerful drug and strained every muscle in my body. I’ll pay for what I did with severe pain but I will recover. I was warned about the effects of the firewater but I guess I didn’t want to believe them.

Hours passed before I was able to move and every time I moved I felt shooting pains everywhere. Eventually I dragged myself to my bed. But, despite the excruciated pain I felt every time I moved, my mind seemed to be clear and free of anxiety and clutter. I kept going back to the three most important things and kept thinking I would be okay for the moment as long as there was air to breathe.

I must have fallen asleep because when I woke up I was feeling wonderfully refreshed until I tried to move my arm. The pain was still there but only when I tried to move. As long as there was air to breathe I would be okay I thought. There was plenty of time for everything else.

It felt really good to be alive even though I was still paralyzed and couldn’t move. I wasn’t worried at all that I was alone and there was

no one to help me. I didn’t want anyone to help me. I wanted to do it myself. My mind was free of all clutter and that was very important to me at the moment.

I tried to figure out what had happened and the only thing I could think was that either the firewater or the crazy stunt I had pulled trying to lift the tank must have flushed out all my fears and inhibitions and now I was free at last. I had to find out which it was so I pledged I would vigorously exercise once I got well and see what happened.

Another thing I learned in this state was that I was able to turn on and off my mind. Once turned off I was able to sleep no problem.

I thought of my friends here, in Toronto, and even on Ostikon and all I wanted was to be with them. Just to be near them, watch them and listen to them. This was very unusual for me I thought, but not so unusual for a person who had had a traumatic experience. I liked the new feeling. I didn’t know how long it was going to last but I liked it. It gave me the confidence I needed to be a sociable human being again. The psychological walls I was surrounded by had fallen.

I looked at my watch, it was late evening. I forced myself out of bed and made it to my desk. I decided I liked my pain. I telephoned Gloria and got her on the line. I asked her if it was okay to talk and if she had the time. She said she had plenty of time as long as she wasn’t kicked off the phone. I enjoyed listening to her telling me about the things she was learning. I told her that I missed her very much and how I wished the weather was a little better so I could go and visit her. She must have sensed I was a bit too mushy and wanted to know if something was wrong. I told her I had hurt myself trying to exercise and all I could think of was her.

“Your pain reminded you of me?” she asked.

“No, my dear girl, my pain reminded me of my love for you.”

“Oh, that’s so sweet… You’d best find yourself a girlfriend. I recommend Joe’s oldest daughter.”

“Your mother told you about that and you didn’t say anything to me all this time?”

She didn’t answer.

So I said, “No, no, not her it’s you that I want.”

“My mom told me how you were looking at her,” she replied.

“My dear Gloria, I’m a man and it’s in my nature to look at women. I’m like a soldier ready to salute anytime a young and beautiful girl passes me by. I can’t help it, God made me that way.”

“I love you too,” she said. “But I have to go before they drag me off the phone. Call me!”

The next thing I did was look at Maria’s business card. I wanted to call her now that I had the confidence to do it but it was late and the consulate was closed.

I decided to call Olivia with hopes of getting Sylvia’s number. Olivia answered the phone. I told her I was feeling lonely all by myself up here and decided to call her. She was happy to hear from me but was wondering why I was calling so late and if something was wrong.

Other than me being bored to death and being alone, I said there was nothing else. To my surprise she said she knew exactly how that felt and that before I had appeared in her life, that’s exactly how she was.

“That’s why I love you so much, silly, you changed my life,” she said.

After that comment I had a new appreciation for Olivia, before that I thought she was infatuated with me and I told her so.

“You silly boy,” she said. “You think so highly of yourself. Now tell your mom what ails you? Is it a girl you want to meet?”

“No, I just want to kiss you. I truly love you and want you to be my step mom forever. Now, do you happen to have Sylvia’s telephone number?”

“As a matter of fact I do. I was with her a couple of days ago. We got together at the restaurant and she had some nice things to say about you. She is, however, disappointed that you haven’t called her. She likes you, you know.”

“Thank you mom, now the number please?”

After she gave me the number I thanked her and said to say hello to Fred for me and hung up.

I was in pain but I was cooking with gas. I wanted to call everyone I could before I lost my confidence again.

I knew it was late but I dialed Sylvia’s number anyway.

Joe answered the phone and said, “Farmer Joe speaking.”

“It’s Peter James Jr., is Sylvia home and may I speak with her?”

All I heard after that was him yelling, “Sylvia, it’s for you, it’s Peter James Jr.,” and then he put the receiver down on a hard surface.

I heard voices in the distance but I couldn’t make out what they were saying. Moments later I heard fast moving footsteps and hello.

“Hi Sylvia,” I said. “How are you doing? It’s Peter.”

After an uncomfortable pause she said, “I’m fine, I’m so excited you called. I don’t know what to say.”

“I called to see how you were doing. I know you’re busy and forgive me for calling so late. I figured you would be home by now, I know you work during the day.”

“If I can be honest with you, I am so happy you called. It’s lonely here on the farm and I hardly see anyone my age. Our customers are old men and all they do is ogle me. I’m getting sick of it. I need a break. So, how are you doing? Done anything exciting lately?”

“No, not really, I’ve been cooped up in the base all alone and it’s driving me mad. I’ve got no one to ogle and it’s very depressing. But believe it on not, I’m in high spirits today but I don’t know how long it will last. The winter is brutal here.”

“Oh, you poor soul. I thought I had it hard but I do go out once in a while; not with men but with my female friends. I could go out with men but it would complicate things, if you know what I mean.”

“So, if I understand you correctly, if I come to take you out you’ll turn me down?”

There was a momentary silence and she said, “You’re trying to push my buttons aren’t you? Always with the jokes, that’s why I like you.”

“You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met and to hear you say that warms my heart,” I said.

“Ah, that was the sweetest thing anyone has said to me.”

“Unfortunately we must remain friends only because things could get very complicated for both of us,” I said.

“I understand,” she said, “but my offer for you to take me out sometime is still open… as friends, of course.

And with those words she hung up on me.

I decided I’d had enough phone calls for one day.

I made my way to the sink and had a drink of water before I went back to bed.

Even after those phone calls I was able to turn off the chatter in my mind and go to sleep.

The next day I woke up refreshed. It was very unusual, I thought, until I tried to move and felt excruciating pain. I only felt the pain when I tried to move so I decided to lie on my back and try a few things. I squeezed my hands open and closed and felt pain in my forearms but as I continued doing it I felt less and less pain. I did the same with foot movements and leg raises. It was painful but felt good, like things were healing.

I continued to do light movements until my whole body felt warm and I was able to stand up. I drank more water. I wasn’t thirsty until I watched the water run from the tap. I went to the kitchen and pulled out a couple of frozen slices of bread. I bit at the crust and found it tasted delicious. Bread had never tasted so good.

I had no appetite or desire to eat frozen bread but every little bite I took tasted delicious.

I slowly ate both slices and felt satisfied. It was an unbelievable feeling. I felt like I was another person. I wasn’t anxious and time passed very slowly. There were no noises in my brain and everything was serene like it should be.

Was I dead? If I was, I was happily dead.

I looked outside. It was a clear and sunny day and, except for the snow, it looked like early morning on a summer day. I imagined how beautiful this place would be in the summer surrounded by the green mountains and showered by the warm golden rays of our yellow sun.

As I slowly and painfully made my way around I felt a certain energy emanating from my being.

“If I’m not dead then God must have plans for me,” I thought.

It was seven thirty in the morning and I was sure Oscar would be up and wouldn’t start work until eight, so I decided to call him.

When I told him it was me he said I must either be drunk or in some sort of trouble. First I don’t call him for a week and now I call him at dawn.

“I’m not drunk or in any trouble. I just pulled a lot of muscles trying to exercise and now I’m sore all over and can’t move.”

“Baby!” he muttered.

“I just called you to tell you that after searching for a long time I finally found the telephone wire I thought I had. I wanted to catch you before you started work and hear your voice because if I call you when you work you give me the boot telling me you’re too busy to talk.”

“You’re right man, but that’s how it is. We can talk anytime but when work has to be done it has to be done. And thank you for finding the wire. How long is it?”

“That I couldn’t tell you but it’s a huge spool. You can look at it when you come up.”

“How are you finding it up there all alone?”

“Well, I ran out of rakia and its been tough since then but I’m managing. I think I’m going to start exercising regularly as soon as my muscles heal and that, I think, should relieve my boredom. I think the weather might also relent a little and if it does I’ll come down and see you. How is everything with you?” I asked.

“Oh, we’re doing well. Stan looks after the service station, his wife does his books and I do most of the service calls and repairs. We also still get together at the restaurant with our friends but only a couple of times a week.”

“Well say hello to everyone from me and talk to you again soon,” I said.

And with those words I hung up on Oscar. It was nice to hear his voice and know that he was doing well.

I waited until it was ten o’clock before I telephoned Maria. I knew she started work at nine but I didn’t want to call her that early.

The consulate secretary answered the phone in both English and Italian. She had a beautiful voice with a slight Italian accent.

When I told her who I was she said, “Ah, you are Peter James, our hero, we have been expecting your call. Seniora Maria will be delighted to hear your voice.”

“Thank you,” I said and she patched me in.

“Ciao Peter, how are you doing? So nice of you to call, I was wondering if you were ever going to call,” answered Maria.

“Ciao Maria, it’s nice to hear your voice. I’ve been busy lately, spending time with my friends. We also had a power outage here so I opened the base to the public. Some people even celebrated Christmas here. I’m doing fine, thank you.”

“Well, I have to tell you… You’re a sensation in Italy. When the girls returned home victorious every newspaper and television was there to greet them. They wanted to honour you for what you did for them so they wore the military uniforms you gave them. The Italian’s went nuts over the uniforms because the girls looked like their beloved partisans who had fought in World War two. I also want to tell you that the girls kept your secret. They didn’t tell anybody you gave them the uniforms, so you don’t have to worry about that. But they did tell the press that you rescued them. They said a hermit, who looked like a grandfather but turned out to be young man, came and saved them from the savage cold. They talked about the ice cream you gave them which was a bit funny. Eating ice cream in the middle of a bitter winter – well, it really is funny... Anyway if you ever find yourself in Italy please let me know. You have a lot of friends there who would love to see you and have you as their guest. Anyway, I’m sorry I have to let you go, my ten o’clock appointment is here and I don’t want to let them wait too

much longer. It’s been nice talking to you and thank you for calling.”

And with those words Maria, the Italian consul, hung up the phone.

I found my conversation with Oscar and Maria therapeutic. My focus on them seemed to lessen my pain. But, despite my pain and discomfort I felt calm and at peace.

After I drank a lot of water I decided to go to bed again. I closed the door to the office, which I usually don’t, and turned off the lights.

Even though it was the middle of the day it was pitch black in the room. I lay on my back in the dark staring up. It was also very quiet except for the air circulating that warmed the room and made the air breathable. The pressure of my weight was causing me discomfort in my back. I was able to quiet my mind however and thought of nothing.

I must have fallen asleep and was dreaming. The next thing I remember was being back in my village going up to the village square where a number of men were sitting down on lawn chairs, the kind we didn’t have in the village, waiting for a celebration to begin. I didn’t know what the celebration was about by my father was there. I asked him if I could go back home, get the rifle, fire a couple of shots and that should help start the celebration. I don’t know why I asked that. I don’t remember what he said but I do remember him looking at me. The men sitting on the lawn chairs were talking but I couldn’t hear their voices.

The next thing I remember was walking on a road up the mountain with a number of young men and women my age. We were thinking of making a film about a story that took place during Ottoman times. After we got together at a place where two roads met we began to discuss the various scenes we were going to film. At that point I asked who was going to write the script. My childhood friend, who in my dream was an adult in his late twenties, distinctly and loudly said, “YOU ARE!”

I figured it was my idea to do the film so I accepted the task of writing the script and we began to walk back to the village. But before we reached the place where we were going to film the last scene, I turned into an old man. Then, suddenly, all the people involved in the making of the story turned into actors and actresses and were wearing authentic late nineteenth century folk clothing. The Ottoman thugs in the story, who were terrorizing the village, were also wearing authentic clothing and carrying swords, pistols and rifles. The story was no longer a story, it was real life.

According to the story, six Ottoman hoodlums regularly came to our village, attacked our women, broke into our homes and stole our food and drinks. They then took everything that they had grabbed to this particular spot on the hill where they camped.

No one was safe in the village as long as they were there. So, according to the story, we decided to kill them. The way we would do it was set a trap for them, ambush them, murder and bury them where no one could find them. But we had to do it in such a way that no one, other than the few accomplices, would know about it. No one else could be trusted.

Being old, having worked in America and having experience in warfare I was chosen to come up with the plan to murder them. It was a simple plan. We would send a young lady up the road to deliver food to the workers in the field, she would pass by a spot where they could see her and stop to pick some flowers. When she saw the hoodlums running for her she would turn back and run and hide in a secluded hole we had dug for her. When the hoodlums ran past her thinking she had gone down the hill, four young men and myself would jump out from behind the rocks and attack them; first with spears and then with knives. We could have used more hands but we couldn’t trust anyone else. If we failed in our attack at least the young lady would survive. But there was no chance of that, the four young men were strong and determined and all four had sisters who had been assaulted by the hoodlums. We all wanted them gone. We made the spears and hid them. We also hid the knives behind the rocks where the attack was going to take place.

We knew which house they were going to rob the next day because we had left the front gate open. We had also left a lot of rakia lying around. We wanted them good and drunk when we attacked them.

The girl did her part masterfully like a well-trained actress. But when we rushed them, instead of fighting fiercely like we expected, they dropped their weapons on the ground, knelt down and began to apologize tearfully. Everyone felt sorry for them, including the girl who came out of hiding, except me. I told them that this had to be done as planned or we would suffer unimaginable consequences.

I asked my men to take their weapons and tie the legs and arms of the hoodlums and lay them face down. I then took one of their swords and told my men and the girl to look away and, one by one, I cut off their heads. Then we buried them and hid their weapons where no one could find them. We also cleaned up their camp and made it look like they had never been there. The girl delivered the food to the people who were working in their fields and returned home like nothing had happened. After we disposed of the bodies we each went our separate ways and returned to the village at different times. No one was the wiser.

The next thing I remember was being in a dark room. This time I was much older than before and my eyesight wasn’t very good. As I focused my eyes I saw a baby. It was an infant which couldn’t talk yet. It was a boy. He looked at me and let out a loud laugh. His blanket fell off. He was stark naked.

A young woman walked into the room. I assumed she was his mother. She was a beautiful woman.

“I just came from the funeral,” she said.

“Who died?” I asked.

“Peter James,” she replied.

“Who is Peter James?” I asked.

“You’re Peter James.”

“How did he die?” I asked.

“By your own hand, you killed him!” she said.

I ignored her comment because it made no sense.

“Who is the little boy?” I asked.

“Otsiron,” she replied.

“Who is Otsiron?” I asked.

“You are. And he too will die by your hand. It’s his destiny to die so he will die. The question is will he die like a coward running and hiding or will he die a hero fighting? I think you will choose to kill him fighting like a hero. Too bad there’ll be nobody to tell his story.”

“Who are you?” I asked her.

“I am the woman,” she replied.

“What woman?”

“I am all the women you met and wanted that you will never have.”

“Why not?!”

“Because that’s your destiny,” she replied.

“You make no sense. If I am Peter James who is now dead and I am the little boy who will die by my own doing then who am I; the person talking to you? And why am I here?”

“I don’t know why you are here but you are the creator and weaver of your own destiny…”

“YOU MAKE NO SENSE!” I yelled out loud.

Suddenly I jumped up in the dark and realized I was still in bed and it had all been a dream.

The pain all over my body was excruciating and I was drenched in sweat.

I slowly got out of bed and went for a shower. The hot water felt good on my sore muscles. I was thirsty but not hungry. It was dark outside. I checked the time and it was past ten o’clock at night. I had slept close to twelve hours. Suddenly I was hungry, very hungry. Eggs came to mind; fried eggs many of them and bread. Not bread, I had to avoid bread. I’d had problems with wheat in the past; it made me tired and my muscles ached.

I went to the kitchen tossed six greasy breakfast sausages in the pan and added four eggs as they started to fry. I was running out of eggs.

I ate everything and I felt good and relaxed. I went to the fireplace and started a fire. I then got a thick blanket, sat on it and stared at the dancing flames.

I couldn’t shake off what I had dreamt. What the woman said made no sense. I knew very well there was no woman in my dream. It was my own mind telling me something, but what?

It seemed like I was caught in a time warp in my dream where the past, present and the future existed at the same time and where reality and imagination were intertwined.

This is what you get for screwing around with powerful and dangerous drugs, I told myself. I was told many times that I should be careful with the firewater and only use it for emergencies and not for relieving boredom. But did I listen? No! I could have been crippled. Anyway, what’s done is done; in future I had to avoid abusing it.

I couldn’t avoid the message in my dream. I knew it was only a dream but what did it mean? What was the woman trying to tell me, that there was no future for me? Or was she telling me I could make my own future?

The more I thought about this the more I thought I needed to go home to my own family in Toronto or even to Macedonia. If I could make my own future then that’s what I was going to do. I was tired of sitting around in this place and constantly lying to people. I wanted out.

I must have fallen asleep again because the next thing I remember was waking up at six o’clock in the morning stiff as a board. The fire was out and my pain had started to localize. Only the muscles I had used to lift the tank were hurting now. There was hope for me yet.

I got up and started walking around in the base, going around in circles from area to area in an attempt to relieve my stiffness. It was working.

I went back to thinking that my health and wellbeing were a priority and everything else would come later.

I walked around for hours, first slowly and then, as the pain subsided, I walked faster and faster until I was jogging. I could feel my heart pounding but my pain lessening.

I decided to stop jogging and do some push-ups. The first five to ten were excruciating but after that I did more until I couldn’t catch my breath anymore. I must have done about forty five to fifty before I fell to the floor. I turned over with great difficulty and tried doing sit-ups. I couldn’t even do a single one. I decided to quit exercising for the moment.

Surprisingly my head was still clear and, despite the pain I was feeling which had begun to be more tolerable, I was calm and had no worries. It was a rare feeling.

As the days passed my pain subsided, and the better I felt the more I wanted to leave the base and go home to Toronto. I began to exercise on a daily basis just taking Saturday and Sunday off to recover. I began with one repetition of exercises a day doing push-ups, sit-ups, chin-ups and various floor exercises including running

inside the base. A week later I increased the exercises to twice a day and a week after that to four times a day.

Sometime in mid February when the road was plowed I went to town, did some shopping and visited my friends. I told them that my grandparents wanted me to go back home to the valley this spring for planting season and that I would think about it. I wanted to beak the news to them slowly. I wanted to tell them that I was considering leaving because I was needed at home in the valley.

At the same time I spoke with Oscar and wanted his advice on what to do with the base if I had to go away. I was hoping he would offer to take it over and look after it in my absence but I wanted it to be his idea.

I was slowly planting the seeds that I was going to leave but I played down the situation because I didn’t want questions asked.

As the weather improved I started running outside and sometimes ran up the mountain to the peak where the road descended to the other side.

In about the middle of March Oscar asked me to go with him to his village and visit his people. We took the telephone wire with us. Oscar figured it was enough to connect the village to the highway but, as it turned out, the telephone company had a line installed to the limits of the reservation so we used much less wire than we expected. Also, we used no telephone poles. We hung the wire off living trees. The boys climbed tree after tree and tied the wire to existing branches. Apparently it was okay to do that. The telephone company didn’t care how the wire was installed beyond its jurisdiction.

We also found we could use more than one phone extension at no extra cost so we purchased three telephones. One was supposed to be a backup but the man from the telephone company, who delivered the telephones and showed us how to install them, told us that the phones rarely broke down. They were military grade. I paid the man in cash for the three sets, the installation fee and for the first month of use. At first he refused to take the cash but then he

accepted the money and gave us a receipt. He realized the Indian’s didn’t have bank accounts or personal cheques and cashed their government cheques at the post office. There was no bank in their village.

Oscar’s people installed the wire the same day we arrived. By evening we had all three extensions connected and working. We installed all three telephone sets and put them in the lodge.

Oscar called Stan and had him call back to test the phones. All three phones rang at the same time but the ringers sounded a bit weak so Oscar disconnected all ringers and connected the line to a big bell outside the lodge where a lot of people could hear it.

We tried the phone again and it sounded perfect. The quality of the line was also good considering how far we were from the central switch.

Everyone came over and admired the telephones.

Oscar gave me a piece of paper with the number written on it. He then said, “Now you can call your girlfriend from the comfort of your home.”

Jean jokingly objected saying, “And who says I’m his girlfriend?”

“What makes you think I was talking about you?” protested Oscar.

Everyone had a good laugh and after that Jean said, “I’ll be happy to receive your calls.”

Up until then I had been avoiding Jean. I was too busy to talk to her on account of the phone installation. But when we got together in the lodge to have supper she came over, sat beside me and grabbed my hand. She then made an announcement. She told everyone that the village now had a telephone line that everyone could use to contact their relatives and friends. She told them that I had donated the wire and paid for all the initial costs including the three telephone sets. She told them Oscar was going to pay for the

monthly costs of the line but they would have to pay for their own long distance charges.

One of the women wanted to know why three telephone sets and if people could make three separate calls. Oscar explained that only one call could be made, which created a bit of confusion.

Jean then said to the woman, “You, your husband and daughter can all talk to your son at the same time like you’re sitting next to one another, except that you can’t see him.”

There were a lot of whispers and excitement. The woman who had asked the question said that this was very thoughtful and a really good idea.

I looked at Oscar’s mom and dad and they both looked happy. I assumed they were happy with how Jean had handled things.

“You’re handling things like a pro,” I whispered into Jean’s ear.

“Yes, I do almost everything the chief does now and I get along with everyone. I even take advice from everyone, especially the chief. I want you to know that I’m happy, plus I want to discuss something new with you and Oscar. Let’s do it after dinner, after everyone leaves.”

“Okay,” I said.

She smiled and squeezed my hand and then let it go.

After everyone had left Jean asked Oscar, myself and Oscar’s parents to stay behind.

She told us that she had started a school to teach the younger children their native language and some other rudimentary subjects like arithmetic, reading and writing but was concerned about the older children, especially the boys who were getting restless sitting around doing nothing. She wanted to do something for them and asked for ideas.

Oscar said he could teach them auto mechanics, welding, soldering, house wiring and even ask Stan to open a few auto mechanic apprenticeships. But all these things had to be done in town. Oscar even suggested maybe one of the girls might want to learn bookkeeping from Stan’s wife; she could sure use the help.

There were some problems with bringing boys and girls into town. For one where would they be housed and who was going to prepare their meals while they worked? Also, they would need to be supervised by an adult who would be responsible for them.

Oscar’s place had plenty of space but Oscar didn’t want to impose on Stan, plus he didn’t want to be responsible for supervising teenagers while he worked. He often had to go on calls and on emergencies, at which point he would have to leave them unsupervised.

They all looked at me. I said I could look after them for a month or two at the base but I was planning to go home to the valley for the planting season.

To that Jean said, “Let’s do that then for a month or two and see what happens after that. If you don’t mind, I’ll come down with you and have a look at the facilities before I make my final decision. Could you accommodate one more person in the base for a short period of time?” she asked and looked at me.

I looked at Oscar and he gave me the okay.

“I would love to have you in my home as long as you don’t mind being alone with me,” I said.

“I don’t mind it at all,” she said and everyone else seemed to agree.

“Okay then, it’s all settled,” said Oscar’s father who looked at Jean and added. “You three can work out the details.” Then he and his wife left.

“I think I’ll sleep here tonight and see how it feels to sleep on the floor,” said Jean and went to get a blanket and pillow.

After she left Oscar said to me, “After all we’ve done she still doesn’t trust us. She probably thinks we’ll slip out and leave during the night.”

“Oscar,” I said, “have some faith.”

“I know her better that you; trust me when I tell you she doesn’t trust us.”

“Well, what can we do to prove to her that we aren’t going to abandon her?” I asked.

Just as I said that Jean walked in and wanted to know what we were talking about. Oscar didn’t say anything.

“Is it true that you think we’re going to run away on you?” I asked.

“Well, he did before,” she said.

“Jean, if we’re not going to trust one another we might as well quit now. I haven’t known Oscar as long as you have but I can assure you he is the most honest and decent man I’ve ever known and I can assure you he is not going to abandon you. But, at the same time, you must respect his wishes and mine.”

“Okay, but I still want to sleep here,” she said, covered herself with the blanket and stopped talking.

The next day we were awakened by Jean delivering our breakfast. She and Oscar’s mother brought us three plates of pancakes with maple syrup added to them and three forks. Jean ate breakfast with us.

We didn’t bother to ask how she’d gotten up and snuck past us without being detected.

After they delivered the food Oscar’s mother left.

When we were done eating our breakfast Jean insisted that we leave the village immediately and be at the base before noon, if possible, because the weather man was predicting it was going to snow in the afternoon.

The storm however never materialized.

We said goodbye to Oscar’s mom and dad and to Jean’s parents, tossed Jean’s suitcase in the back of the truck and said our goodbyes. Before we left Jean told her parents she was going to call them on the new telephone when we arrived at the base.

As we descended the hill and onto the highway Jean kept looking at me making me nervous.

Finally I said, “What is it Jean, why are you constantly looking at me? You’re making me nervous.”

To my surprise she immediately apologized and said, “Do you know that this is my first time out of my village? And thanks to you, it’s happening.”

Oscar and I looked at each other but said nothing.

It was Sunday just before noon before we arrived in town. We stopped in front of the grocery store and went in to purchase some things. After that we took Jean to Stan’s and showed her where Oscar worked and lived. She saw the article with Oscar and the family in the picture. She even saw the article with the Italian girls but said nothing.

When we finally got to the base we got in through the garage, down the stage and to the kitchen. Still she said nothing.

Oscar fried some fish I had in the fridge and we ate them for lunch.

While Oscar was cooking our lunch I took Jean for a tour and showed her parts of the base including the tank and guns. She was not impressed. The only comment she made was about the size of the big table in the big room around which sixty people could sit.

“I could have the entire village sitting around that,” she said.

Given that Jean had never been out of her village, Oscar and I concluded that she had no idea what to expect and no basis for comparison and the base looked to her like the house of a big family. We figured we were going to have a hard time with her. We’d have to teach her everything.

After we had lunch I asked her again if she was up to staying in this isolated place with a man, a stranger, and if anything were to happen between us, which I assured wouldn’t, that people were going to talk. They were going to talk even if nothing happened.

She said she was okay with that and she had to do what she had to do to get this project off the ground.

Oscar then said to her, “It’s obvious to me, and none of this is your fault, but you know nothing of what it’s like living outside of the village and this world you have entered is nothing like our village. So, you’ll have to promise me that you will listen to him and learn everything you need to know from him and you will behave yourself and not tempt or annoy him. Am I clear? I am your cousin and I love you, and that’s why I’m telling you this. Now come with me and we’ll call home and tell them we arrived safely.”

To our surprise Jean agreed to everything Oscar said without a single complaint.

When they came back to the kitchen from telephoning home, they were both laughing.

“What’s so funny?” I asked, thinking they were laughing at me washing the dishes, but they weren’t.

“We never did show them how to work the telephone. They had to find Oscar’s father to show them how to use it. I apologized and told him to find someone to teach the rest how to answer the phone,” explained Jean.

The three of us decided to spend the night at the base together. We set Jean up in one of the bedrooms but she decided to spend the night with us on the floor in front of the fireplace.

The next day we got up late and went to town. Oscar didn’t want to miss any work. Mondays were usually busy days, especially this one since Oscar had been away Saturday and Sunday.

When we arrived Stan was already there but he hadn’t expected Oscar to be back considering that we had to install a long phone line. But he was happy to see Oscar back.

Stan was very courteous to Jean on account of Oscar being a relative of hers and spoke very highly of him. She was quite impressed that a white man would speak so highly of an Indian.

When Stan was done with her I told him we hadn’t had breakfast so I was going to take Jean to the restaurant. He asked me to bring him something back because he too hadn’t had anything to eat because he’d come to work early to catch up with repairs.

We walked to the restaurant. Jean was silent. When we got in Gloria’s mother gave me a big hug and then gave her a hug and wanted to know who this beautiful lady was.

I told her this was Jean, Oscar’s cousin. She gave her another hug, grabbed her by her hand and took her away introducing her to every customer in the restaurant telling them that this was Jean, Oscar’s cousin. She took her to the kitchen and introduced her to her husband.

Jean wanted to know if all the people in this town knew each other and were this courteous to strangers.

“No, silly, we love you because you’re Oscar’s cousin and Peter’s friend. Oscar and Peter are sort of legends in this town. They have done great things for us. They’re putting my Gloria through school and soon she will be a professional chef.”

After the introductions Gloria’s mom asked us if she could offer us something to eat or drink. I told her we would take four orders of fried egg sandwiches on toast. When I offered to pay she refused to take my money.

“You’ve done more than enough for us. Gloria told me what you did for her.”

“That was supposed to be a secret,” I protested.

“Well, it’s still a secret but not between a mother and daughter,” she said and gave me a kiss on the cheek.

On the way back to Stan’s Jean wanted to know who this Gloria was and why Oscar and I were doing things for her.

“Gloria is an eighteen year old young lady who we’re helping with her education. What we’re doing is no different than what you want to do for your people, for those boys who you want to have skills. And, if you want to be here with me, you have to trust me and be a bit less suspicious of my motives. Sometimes things are exactly what they appear to be, and that’s all. I’m not telling you to completely let your guard down and trust me but I am telling you to give things a chance before you shoot them down.”

She agreed.

After we gave Oscar and Stan their breakfast sandwiches which Jean delivered to them, she went over to the bulletin board and reread the stories about Oscar and the Italian girls.

We ate our breakfast standing up in front of the bulletin board. When we were done I told Stan and Oscar that we were going for a walk to Fred’s shop.

The moment we stepped in Olivia ran towards me and jumped on me.

“Olivia, we agreed you’re not going to do this any more,” I said.

“Yes, yes, but I wanted to make your pretty friend jealous,” she said.

She turned to Jean who didn’t know what to make of this and said, “Who are you my dear?”

“I’m Jean, Oscar’s cousin and Peter’s girlfriend.”

“Oh, it’s so nice to meet you dear. Oscar is our friend too. But I don’t think you’re Peter’s girlfriend.”

“Why not?”

“Because if you were, he would have told me so.”

“Why? Are you his girlfriend?”

Olivia laughed out loud and said, “No silly, I’m his mom!”

Poor Jean turned red and didn’t know what to say. When Olivia saw that, she felt sorry for Jean.

“I’m sorry dear, you know how it is with boys, they never tell their mothers anything. Come with me. Peter’s friend is our friend.”

She then took Jean away and introduced her to Fred and all the customers who were in the store. She then told Jean that she was my stepmother. Olivia then got a beautiful set of earrings from the counter and gave them to Jean as a gift.