Chapter Twenty Two: Vacation Eternal — Part 7

The rest of the week passes a little too quickly for Daria’s tastes, but toward the end ChoCho’s nerves, and whatever had wrecked them previously, are on the mend. Sunday morning is a precious, quiet morning, and the table is loaded with eggs from chickens Daria has never seen, meat from animals Tomas probably killed himself, and lots of corn mash, potato pancakes, and oatmeal, probably as courtesy to Jynx, who has already served herself a heaping serving of all three. She knows it’s time to leave when Joe, Blake, Jude, and George show up in one of the white vans. She finds it odd that they all came in a van, but thinks maybe it’s because they are trying to conserve on fuel. Tomas has set enough plates for everybody at the long tables.

Arpie and Opus, who have been almost invisible to everybody for the past week, show up for breakfast, both of them looking happy and fit. They had been sneaking out early and coming back late, probably scouting the land, getting a feel for things. Jynx isn’t really concerned what the two are up about, but their sudden and unexpected presence at breakfast this morning is really quite ominous. Somebody, Jynx thinks, must have told them to make sure to be present this morning, because otherwise she doubts she would have seen them at all.

Kia must have sent message by radio about the number of visitors Tomas could expect. The meal is a massive one, and everybody eats heavy, filling their bellies until they are tired from the effort. During the post-eating stupor, Tomas and Joe talk privately, looking across the gaggle of children, each anticipating something. Shelley is sitting at the table, feeding her son. She hasn’t been foremost in either Jynx or Daria’s mind since she got here. She’s been mostly in the kitchen, or in town, depending on the day. Shelley looks a little worried. She seems to know something is up, and is as anxious as the children are relaxed.

Joe raises his hand, starts speaking loudly. “Listen up Puds, and adults. Tomas has something he wants to say to you all, and I want you to listen, because it’s important.”

Tomas speaks up. His voice is quiet. He’s not a public speaker, not by any stretch. “I need hands here at the ranch. I need people to help with the fields and the canning, the drying and the ranching. I need help keeping Tó Naneesdizí fed. I have spoken with Kia, the Doctor in town, and she needs hands to train in medicine, and Walker, the radioman, he needs hands to learn to make radios. We need people to help keep peace as well.” Tomas gets suddenly flustered, trying to find words that aren’t common to him, trying to say things that don’t come natural, even in his native tongue.

There is a look of confusion among the puds, among them only Heath can grasp the situation. “What Tomas is saying,” she says loudly, “is that Tó Naneesdizí needs your help, and he’s offering a home to yall. Am I right Tomas?”

“Yes.” Tomas says suddenly.

Heath stands up. “Do yall want to take it to a vote, or should we all just choose for our own selfs?”

The children kind of mutter among themselves, until one of the boys speaks up. “Vote, then decide for our own.”

“I second that.” A girl adds.

“Very well then.” Heath says. “Those who would like to stay, raise a hand.”

Heath doesn’t raise her hand, even as she watches every one of the puds raise their closed fist over their head. She scans the table, finds Shelley’s hand raised, and Zac’s as well, though it doesn’t seem to her that Zac entirely understands what is going on. It is obvious as well that Opus and Arpie have decided to stay behind. Shelley is looking at Arpie, and Arpie at Shelley, and though their relationship will probably remain platonic, the two have forged an obvious friendship, a mutual sort of closeness that is in some way shared with Opus. Heath feels a little disappointed, perhaps even betrayed, because she knows now that she is outvoted and perhaps even out-decided. Her crew looks at her expectantly, but she doesn’t raise her hand, she has her own agenda, and it doesn’t involve staying on a ranch set in a scrub desert near a grazing range.

“I guess I’ll be moving along alone then.” She says quietly, stepping down off her seat.

There is a lot of emotion, suddenly, most of it happy, a little of it discordant. Heath is hurt, and she doesn’t know why. Beth, a girl who is always near her, is suddenly hanging on Opus, and she knows why Opus isn’t moving on. She doesn’t want to be around when the girl opens the wrapping on that package. She’s heard things, and has to hope that Beth has heard those things as well. Her crew hasn’t turned on her, because even though they all worked together as family, she had never really been a traditional leader, and they hadn’t been a traditional gang, or pack. Rather, they had been working around a loosely arranged democracy, in which she had the strongest voice. She knows also that in reality she was the newest voice, the one with the weakest attachment to the group as a whole. Heath looks sidewise at the people she knows will be leaving, and wonders how she will fit in with Jynx and her gang. She gets up from the table, leaving behind the chatty people who had once been her closest friends, and heading for Jynx and Daria, who, with ChoCho and Kevin, are huddled in with Joe and Blake, George and Jude.

“So you’re the only one going with us, right?” Joe asks, translating for Blake.

To Heath, suddenly, it is as if Joe is invisible. “Yeah. I can’t sit still here.”

“We’re losing our medics as well. They’re staying with Kia, to help her build up the necessary medicinals of a small hospital. I showed them where we were headed. They might show up later, once they’ve finished helping out here, but I have a feeling they won’t be leaving for a couple of years at least. Arpie and Opus have decided to stay on and help the radio guy with whatever it is he needs.” Joe says.

“So I guess we’re a party of nine, now, girl.” Daria says to Jynx, not knowing what to think.

“I guess we’d better let Heath carry the ring, you know, because she’s so short.” Kevin says.

The connection is lost on Heath, who stares in that confused, innocent expression that most young ladies practice at, but few come by with sincerity. Daria smacks Kevin’s arm playfully, keen enough to know the difference between the play of innocence and honest naivety.

“Stop scaring Heath, you dork.” Daria says loudly, and the two are suddenly arguing back and forth playfully.

“We’ve got enough diesil to get where we’re going.” Joe says to Jynx, “We took the liberty of packing it away in the girl, all ready for you to do a final inspection before we leave. I was wondering if you might want to take a van with us, or leave it behind. We have enough room over all with the cargo truck, that is if you take Heath for a spell: at least until we eat down a space for her. Us boys can take George and Jude with us.”

“Sounds smart, saves us having to stop to scavenge for two kinds of fuel.” Jynx says, her mind working to consider the disadvantages.

While Joe and Jynx work out the details of the trip, Daria has, in her own quiet way, pulled Heath aside to let the rather dark minded girl have a good cry on her shoulder. Heath is one of those rare tough types who is truly independent. At the same time, she is not invulnerable. The thought, suddenly of not having her friends around is terrifying. She’s also leaving a boyfriend behind, and though she isn’t saying anything, Daria knows it must be hard for her.

“Tomas looks so happy.” Heath says.

“Tomas is a lonely man who has lost a family.” Daria says.

“I know. I’m happy for him.” Heath says, and after a few moments, calms down to where she only emits an occasional sob.

Blake has kind of drifted over, with a note in his hand: I want to teach you something. Will you be my student?

Heath smiles, “Sure.”

Blake gives her a thumbs-up, and drifts back to Joe. Sunday becomes a long day of goodbyes, hugs, and gift giving. Apparently a lot of the puds must have guessed that Heath would be leaving, had maybe even talked about it when she wasn’t around. Soon Heath has earrings for ears that aren’t pierced, rings for her fingers and toes, necklaces, and a hair braid. Tomas gives her something totally unexpected. It is a thick cloth carry bag with a cover that drops all the way to the bottom, and straps down. He puts it over her shoulder, setting it down on her hip, and she can feel that there are things inside, heavy things and light things, a mix of stuff that she can’t figure on, but that she can feel the shapes of, if she runs her hand under the flap. He also puts a flute in its buckskin case so its strap sits across her opposite shoulder.

“You are giving up a lot.” Tomas says. “The flute was my brother’s, but Kia said I should give it to you.”

“Do you always listen to Kia?” Heath wonders, unexpectedly, aloud.

“Yes.” Tomas says.

Heath doesn’t know why, but she hugs Tomas and laughs. When the hug is done, Tomas moves off to stand near Shelley, Arpie, and Opus, who is watching while Zac plays with some of the older children. Her mind drifts back to Blake, and she keeps her gifts to herself, not daring to look in the bag, or to try to play the flute until she is on the open road. Despite the weight of the bag and its unknown contents, despite the odd nature of the large base flute, now strapped at her back, and the jewelry she has tucked in her pockets and about her person, Heath feels lighter than she has felt in years.

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