JC: Ed Biggers
Part 5: Stasis
Chapter 12
By
Lazlo Zalezac
Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezac, 2004

At a convenience store on reservation property, Ed held the door 
open for William. The little guy, just shy of four years old, wasn't 
strong enough to open it himself. The handle was barely within 
reach. William, holding a five-dollar bill in his hand, marched up 
to the counter. The man behind the counter watched him approach 
with amusement at the serious expression on his face. 

Reaching the counter, William said, "I need a pack of tobacco."

The man, a Native American who was thirty years old, looked 
down at William and said, "You're a little young to be smoking."

Lifting his head to where he could look at the man behind the 
counter, Williams replied, "I am William Redman Carter. It would 
be rude to meet my great-grandfather without bringing a pack of 
tobacco."

The clerk stepped back and looked at the child standing in front of 
him. Glancing at Ed, he reached over and picked up a pack of 
cigarettes. Handing it over to William, he said, "This is his favorite 
brand."

William handed the money over to the clerk and while waiting for 
his change, said, "Thank you."

When the clerk handed him the change, William went through it 
and separated the pennies. Setting them on the counter, he said, 
"For the penny tray."

The clerk, used to kids that worried about every penny, was taken 
by surprise but didn't show it. Instead, he replied, "William 
Redman will be proud of you."

Outside, Linda waited in the car worried about how the family 
would accept her son. Her nervousness increased when she noticed 
all of the tribal elders gathering in front of the building across the 
street. All of them were facing the convenience store as though 
waiting for something. Beth said, "Why is everyone staring at the 
store?"

"I don't know dear," replied Linda wondering if that was entirely 
true. 

When William exited the store, he paused and looked across the 
street at the group gathered there. With great deliberation, he raised 
his right hand in a gesture of greeting to the tribal elders. He held 
his hand up for a full minute, waiting to lower it until after those 
across the street returned the gesture.

As the village elders began to disperse, he looked up at his father 
and said, "Let's go meet Great-grandfather."

The pair returned to the car much to the relief of Linda. She had 
observed the interaction between William and the village elders. 
She had been holding her breath from the moment when he had 
held up his hand and only released it once the elders had 
acknowledged him. Getting into the car, William said, "I hope they 
judge me well."

Smiling, Ed said, "Don't worry. They acknowledged you."

Looking out the window as Ed drove the car through the 
reservation, William was silent. When they reached their 
destination, he said, "That's not the same thing."

Sitting on a bench in front of his house, William Redman waiting 
for the car happy at the chance to meet his great-grandchildren. 
Time had not been gentle with the man. His cataracts did not allow 
him to see the car or the kids within. Next to him, Robert White 
Feather said, "It will be nice to see my sister again."

"I saw the movie they made of her book. They made the coyote 
look like a puppy and not the trickster that he is," replied the 
elderly man. 

"It's not her fault," replied Robert knowing full well that his 
grandfather had not been able to see the pictures. He was just 
reporting what others had said about the film.

Nodding, the old man replied, "The book was good. I've always 
liked the coyote."

The children, in line from youngest to oldest, walked to the bench 
followed by Ed and Linda. William stopped in front of his great-
grandfather and held out the pack of cigarettes. Robert accepted 
the cigarettes and placed them in his grandfather's hand as he said, 
"William brought tobacco."

The four-year-old said, "Great-grandfather, I am William Redman 
Carter. The tobacco is from all of us."

"Come closer child," replied the old man as he stretched out his 
arms. That the youngest would bring tobacco and share credit with 
his brother and sister was a good sign that they had been raised 
well. When William stepped closer, his great-grandfather swept 
him into a loving embrace. Smiling, the gentleman said, "Come 
closer Beth and John. I want to hug all of you."

The children swarmed over their oldest living relative as a tear of 
happiness escaped down his cheek. Even though he was blind, he 
could feel the strength and goodness of their spirits. The children 
were fine additions to the family. One burned brighter than all the 
rest and that was William. He said, "I'm so pleased to meet all of 
you."

Robert stood and hugged Linda to welcome her home. Ed stood 
back and let the family unite. When Robert finally let go of Linda, 
Ed stepped forward and shook hands with his brother-in-law 
saying, "They've been so excited about coming here. William was 
unwilling to delay even a day."

Robert smiled and said, "It's good to see the kids. Grandfather 
didn't want to wait another day for this moment."

There was truth in his statement, a fact that made Ed feel good. He 
respected William Redman and valued his opinion. The kids had 
backed away from their great-grandfather to give him some room 
to breathe. Calling out to Ed and Linda, he said, "You have done 
well with these children. They are very polite and understand our 
ways. I am sure that you are tired after your travels. Robert will 
take you to his house so that you can rest."

Glancing over at his mother and father, William asked, "If it is 
alright with great-grandfather, may I stay here with him?"

The old man burst out laughing and said, "I insist upon it."

Little John ran to the car and retrieved the small gym bag that 
contained William's clothes even as the adults discussed the 
matter. Returning to the family, he slipped the bag into William's 
hand whispering, "Have a nice visit."

The old man closed the discussion when he said, "You will see him 
tonight at the community center. I have arranged for your children 
to meet the tribe. It has been decided."

The adults knew that you didn't argue with a tribal elder once they 
made up their mind about some matter. Kneeling down next to his 
son, Ed said, "Enjoy your visit."

"Aren't you going to tell me to behave myself?"

"Do I need to tell you that?"

"No."

"There you go," replied Ed with a smile on his face. He caught the 
look of amusement on the older man's face. Turning to him, he 
said, "We shall see you later at the community center."

At William's frown, Ed shook his head afraid to ask the question. 
A few minutes later, the family was riding to Robert's house on the 
reservation. Ed asked, "So how do you like being a tribal 
policeman?"

"Things have quieted down here over the past few years. We have 
many young men that have taken the challenge given to them by 
the elders. Alcoholism is down, people are watching their weight, 
and our economic status is up. Our lawyers are among the best in 
the country now. Almost no one is willing to take advantage of 
us," replied Robert with a significant amount of pride in the recent 
accomplishments of the tribe.

"John will be happy to hear that," replied Ed as he navigated 
around some rough spots in the road. The road was in pretty good 
condition, but a recent rain had washed out this particular region. 
Parked by the side of the road was the equipment to fix it.

"So big brother, how goes the tribe?" asked Linda from the back 
seat as she noticed some of the major improvements in the area.

"Awa Tsireh has become a chief. He's working to protect some 
sacred burial grounds and has been quite successful. All of the 
contracts have been renegotiated for the betterment of the tribe. 
We are now fixing the roads ourselves out of tribal money rather 
than subcontracting them." Robert laughed and said, "It only made 
sense. Our people were doing all the work anyway. The roads are 
in much better shape, now."

Recalling the polite young man that had stopped by the restaurant 
and announced his decision to go to law school, Ed said, "He's a 
credit to the tribe."

 "That he is," agreed Robert. 

Sarah looked around at the homes and said, "I see a lot of young 
couples here."

"Yes, the college has been very good for us. The guy that lives 
there has started an internet company. Most of their business is 
creating web pages and they employ about ten people. The guy 
over there has an online store selling goods created by individuals 
within the tribe. Amazing how much money they've brought into 
the tribe," said Robert. 

"I can't believe how many new houses there are here."

Little John asked, "Are there any kids our age around here?"

"Lots. I've got four kids," answered Robert with a smile.

The community center had not changed over the years since John 
had publicly asked permission to date Linda. That was remarkable 
as it meant that the center had been well maintained to last that 
long under the normal wear and tear of time. Linda thought it 
looked much smaller than she remembered. Little John and Beth 
were behind the center playing with other children on the 
playground. 

Linda handled introductions between Ed and members of the tribe, 
not expecting him to remember everyone from the one time that he 
had meet them all. The pair navigated among relatives, greeting 
aunts and uncles that had not been seen in years. It dismayed her at 
how much older everyone looked. Time had been kinder to some 
and harsher with others.

The medicine man that she had consulted about having a child with 
John came over to her with a smile on his face. Taking her hand 
between his, he said, "I am glad to see that you survived the birth. 
He's a fine young man with a powerful spirit."

Surprised, Linda asked, "When did you see him?"

"When he went to buy cigarettes for his visit to William Redman," 
answered the medicine man. He had been in the crowd that had 
gathered across the street from the convenience store.

"Oh, I didn't see you there," remarked Linda.

The medicine man shook his head and smiled. Turning to Ed, he 
said, "I see you are still serving the truth."

"Yes, I do," replied Ed knowing that the medicine man could sense 
his power as easily as he could sense the power of the medicine 
man. 

"We have young men to take our place now. The traditions will not 
die as we had worried for years. We have John Carter to thank for 
that."

Ed shook his head as he said, "John Carter may have enabled it, 
but William Redman, you, and the other elders of the tribe made it 
happen. I know for a fact that John had no idea how to help the 
tribe."

"William Redman is a great man," agreed the medicine man.

William Carter entered the room with the neighbor of William 
Redman. The young man was carrying his luggage and a long 
package wrapped in paper. Rather than going to his mother or 
father, he went to Robert White Feather. Once there, he whispered 
something to tribal policeman. Robert White Feather immediately 
left the community center.

Linda, noticing the action, went over to William and knelt down 
next to him. He looked at her with a tear-streaked face. She asked, 
"What's the matter?"

"Great-grandfather died this evening."

Linda threw her arms around William and hugged him tightly as 
she murmured, "Oh, my poor boy."

Ed was about to go over to his wife and son when the medicine 
man put a hand on his arm. "William was waiting for this day for a 
long time."

Puzzled, Ed asked, "Waiting for what?"

"To meet William. Now that it has happened, nothing remained for 
him to do."

Ed stopped and looked at the medicine man knowing that he spoke 
the truth, but not sure of what the truth meant. He asked, "What are 
you saying?"

"William Redman died twenty minutes ago."

"I must go to my son," replied Ed thinking that his son must be 
hurting at having his great-grandfather die while he was visiting.

"Not yet," replied the medicine man, "Both William Redman and 
William Carter knew this was going to happen. Why do you think 
he wanted to stay there?"

There wasn't anyway to answer that question. Ed looked at the man 
and then at his son, wondering if William had really known what 
was going to happen. He knew better than to question it, William 
was deep and in touch with information that was beyond what 
others could know. He went over to William and knelt down 
hugging him tightly. 

Awa Tsireh moved to one end of the room and called out, 
"Everyone, gather around."

Amidst a lot of noise, people moved to the chairs facing the front 
of the room. The children, who had been playing outside, came in 
the room and went over to their parents. A feeling that something 
important was going to happen settled on the room. Awa Tsireh 
waited patiently at the front of the room as a hush fell upon the 
people. 

Ed pulled the carton of cigarettes from his robe pocket, waiting for 
a chance to give it to the Chief. Awa Tsireh announced, "William 
Redman asked that the tribe recognize the children of the Carter 
Clan as members of the tribe. I would like everyone to welcome 
the three newest members of the tribe, Beth Carter, John Carter, 
and William Carter."

The news was greeted with muted approval on the part of other 
members of the tribe, but with delight by Beth and Little John. 
William, who couldn't be denied membership to the tribe, did not 
react in any fashion other than to congratulate his brother and 
sister. In a very quiet voice, Awa Tsireh said, "William Redman 
has passed his pipe to William Carter. I was there to witness this. 
He died ten minutes later."

The news stunned the people in the room. That William Redman 
would pass his pipe to William Carter was amazing. The pipe, 
given to William Redman by his Grandfather, was over a hundred 
years old. The news of his death was the only thing that could have 
overshadowed news about the passing of the pipe. Beth and Little 
John turned to their brother and hugged him, knowing that he must 
have been present when William Redman died. 

Taking a deep breath, William stood and walked to Awa Tsireh 
carrying the pipe with the care that it deserved. Every eye in the 
room followed his progress. Once he was in front of the Chief, he 
said, "Chief Awa Tsireh, this pipe must remain within the 
reservation. I entrust it to your care. It is to be used by the tribal 
elders on occasions of great importance."

The Chief bent down and accepted the pipe from William. 
Removing the wrapping from the pipe, he held it up for all to see. 
Few in the room had seen the pipe since William only used it on 
the most serious occasions. Setting the pipe on the table in front of 
him, Awa Tsireh said, "You honor me and the elders with such a 
trust."

William nodded and returned to his chair. The Chief announced, 
"Three days from now, William Redman will be put to rest 
following the old ways. The medicine men will prepare for the 
ceremony. "

A coyote howled at the moon as the men sat around the campfire 
listening to the distant beating of drums and shouts as men of the 
tribe danced patterns that had been practiced for centuries. John, 
Ed, Leroy, George, Bob, and Walt were watching the stars that 
burned unnaturally bright that night. Ed could feel the energy 
feeding his soul as the desert worked its magic on him. Rubbing 
the blisters on his hands created by digging the burial hole in the 
desert, John remarked, "I'm sorry it took his death to bring us all 
together out here."

"William hasn't said a word since the night of the meeting at the 
community center," said Ed worried about his son and his 
resumption of a silent lifestyle. 

Leroy, listening to the drumbeats, said, "He went with them 
tonight. I wonder what is going on."

Ed asked, "How is Sarah taking this?"

George answered, "She cried when she got the news."

"Her grandfather and her had a long talk several months ago. I 
think that relations between them were finally healed," said Walt. 
"She returned from that trip very happy. I think this hit her hard, 
but I'm glad that past quarrels were put behind them."

"I am glad that there was peace between them," replied John. "The 
final ceremony is tomorrow. I suggest that we get some sleep 
now."

Although it wasn't that late, John had flown out from North 
Carolina that afternoon, had spent three hours digging the grave, 
and was suffering from a three-hour time difference. After the 
ceremony and luncheon, he would fly back to the Druid College. 
Ed knew that John felt bad that he couldn't spend more time here, 
but the semester was just starting and it was a critical time. Ed lay 
back on his bedroll, resting his head on a rolled up blanket, and 
looked up at the stars while listening to the subtle sounds of the 
desert. 

The morning came too early for all of the men. They woke, 
cleaned up camp and walked back to the community center for a 
communal breakfast. The women and children had spent the night 
as guests in the homes of the aunts and uncles, but came to the 
center to prepare breakfast as a family. Marguerite and Shauna 
cooked eggs, bacon, and toast. 

Despite not having had his morning coffees, Ed had the presence 
of mind not to grumble. Accepting a cup from Shauna, he took a 
sip feeling the caffeine course through his system. While Ed drank 
his second cup of coffee, Linda joined them at the table with a tight 
look on her face. When the coffee had wakened him sufficiently to 
notice, he asked, "What's the matter?"

"He cut himself."

"Pardon?"

Her voice tight with worry, Linda said, "William made two cuts on 
his chest last night in grief about his great-grandfather."

"I didn't know that your tribe did that," replied Ed confused by the 
actions of his son.

"We don't," replied Linda, "but the medicine man was very pleased 
about it."

"I don't understand," replied Ed.

"Neither do I."

Looking at the eggs on his plate, Ed lost his appetite as he 
pondered the issue. He pushed the plate away with the eggs 
uneaten. Staring at the table, he only looked up when John returned 
to the table with a frown on his face. Shaking his head, John said, 
"The cuts aren't deep, just deep enough to scar."

Ed knew that Kelly wouldn't heal the wounds that William had 
inflicted on himself. They would have to heal on their own and 
leave scars for life. Looking up at John, Ed asked, "Who will he 
serve? The Animal Spirits or the Gods and Goddesses?"

"It's not our choice," replied John. 

They sat quiet at the table as Ed drank another cup of coffee and 
thought about William's behavior. He had always assumed that 
William would end up in the service of the Two-Sided One. 
William's actions over the past few days had undermined his 
certainty, yet he didn't see his son serving the Animal Spirits. 

John finished the eggs that Ed could not eat. Marguerite, arms 
crossed and frowning, stood behind Ed worried that he didn't eat 
breakfast. It took something major for Ed not to enjoy his food. 
She asked, "Is my cooking not good enough for you?"

Distracted, Ed turned and said, "It's fine. I'm just not hungry."

Leroy came over and said, "It is time for the funeral."

The family left the community center and piled into two cars. 
Marguerite, Bob, Cathy, George, and Walt stayed behind to 
prepare a lunch to be served at the community center, since the 
only ones allowed at the burial was the family. As they drove to 
the burial site, members of the tribe came out to give their respects, 
nodding or gesturing to the family. 

The burial spot was a huge hole in the ground. The male members 
of the family, including all the Carter men, had taken turns digging 
it while the women had taken care of all arrangements. The wives 
joined the other women of the family by the pickup truck that had 
brought the body from the house to the burial site. They would 
follow the men carrying the body out to the grave with personal 
items that were to be buried with the body. 

Although there was usually a Catholic priest at a burial, there had 
been no Catholic service as per the wishes of William Redman. 
William had wanted to be buried in the old way, but no one 
remembered the old ways in all their details. The result had been 
an amalgamation of memories gleamed from the tribal elders. 

The pallbearers carried the body wrapped in blankets to the 
gravesite and lowered him into it. The face had been covered with 
a power made of ground corn. Two men led a horse to the grave. 
Ed jumped when the men shot the horse and put it in the grave 
with the body. Extra clothes, food, water, and other items were 
placed in the grave. 

The men knelt and started filling in the grave by pushing the dirt 
into the hole with their bare hands. Under the hot Arizona sun, it 
was hard work filling in the hole. The children watched the 
activities around the burial site without saying a word. When the 
hole was filled in, the men cleaned the area of footprints so that the 
spirit would not be misled. The family backed away, clearing their 
footprints as they went. 

It was a silent drive back to the community center. The pallbearers 
and the medicine men had left to cleanse the house. They would 
not return for three days since it was necessary for them to undergo 
purification rituals. All that was left for the family to do was to 
have the luncheon.

The smell of food filled the community center. Tables were set out 
on the basketball court for the entire tribe. A table at the front of 
the room was piled with game meats such as venison, antelope, 
duck, grouse, and quail. Beans, corn, and squash filled another 
table along with a huge pile of Indian Flat Bread prepared by 
Marguerite according to the recipe that William Redman's wife had 
taught her. It was her way of honoring the Redman family.

Members of the tribe arrived to partake of the food and to honor 
the late William Redman. The first in line for food was William, 
who piled his plate high with slices of duck, squash, corn, and flat 
bread. It was almost five minutes later that Beth and Little John 
joined him with plates piled nearly as high. Linda brought over 
three cups and a bottle of soda, giving each of them a glass of soda, 
which was a very rare treat for the kids.

A member of the tribe, a man about fifty years old, went up to the 
front of the room. Standing, he said, "My father was in jail when I 
was a young man learning the ways of hunting and fishing. It was 
William Redman who taught me how to hunt. He took me on my 
first hunt for a deer. When I made the kill, he told me how to field 
dress the deer so that the meat would not spoil. I remember to this 
day how proud I was and how lucky I was that William took the 
time to teach me."

The man returned to his seat and ate as others nodded their heads. 
Many of them had learned how to hunt from William Redman. 
One of the tribal elders went up to the front of the room. He said, 
"One day, William Redman came to me and the other tribal elders. 
He said that there was a white man with money who wanted to 
help our tribe, but that we had to figure out the form that help 
would take. We talked all afternoon and through the night about 
this offer. Many, including myself, could not believe that a white 
man would make such an offer. As the sun was rising, William told 
us that he didn't think that the tribe would survive beyond our 
deaths, as too few understood our ways. It was a terrible thought, 
but one that we believed was true. William said that we should use 
the offer of the white man to assure that the tribe would continue. 
It was in this manner that the Native American College was born."

Many of the people in the room nodded as they heard the story. 
This story had gone round many times and all agreed that it was 
William Redman who had come up with the idea for the school. It 
was successful, as many of the young people in the room had 
graduated from it. The Chief had graduated and gone on to study 
law. 

Looking around the room, William went up to the front of the 
room. Many people watched him make the trip. He pulled a chair 
over to the spot where others had stood and then climbed up on it. 
Once he had everyone's attention, he said, "My Great-grandfather 
told me a story about how he had come to be named William 
Redman."

The quiet in the room was immediate, broken only by coughs and 
forks getting set down. He continued, "When he was a small boy, 
his father sent him to the school to learn to read and write. The 
missionary that ran the school would not allow him to speak his 
native language and required that all students take the names of 
white men and become Catholic. The young man didn't want to do 
this, but the missionary was quite forceful and would beat students 
that spoke the native tongue. After a year of pressure, he came to a 
decision and selected the name William Redman. He thought it 
was funny that the missionary accepted this name which told 
everyone that he was a Native American and not a white man. It 
was a small victory, but one that he was so proud of that he used 
the name for the rest of his life. He told me that there are times 
when it is the small victories that allow you to live long enough to 
overcome those that are stronger."

William was silent for a minute as everyone watched him, unable 
to believe that the four-year-old was able to tell such a story. He 
added, "It makes me proud to know that my name is William 
Redman Carter."

Climbing down from the chair, he pulled it back to where it had 
been. Ed watched him with pride as he carried himself with great 
dignity to his place at the table. The room remained silent until he 
seated himself. Beth leaned over and whispered, "That was a nice 
story."

Little John said, "Wow."

Linda and Sarah had tears streaming down their faces by the end of 
the story. They had never heard how their grandfather had gotten 
his name. The family listened to other stories that were told about 
William Redman. John went up and told how he had gone on a 
spirit walk with the man. After that, John left to return to the Druid 
College. 

Ed sat listening to the stories told by people who knew William 
Redman while eating his lunch. The stories were so interesting that 
he didn't even notice what he put on his plate and what he was 
eating. Marguerite, watching from the kitchen, was shocked when 
he ate a slice of venison that was medium rare. She was about to 
go to him when Kelly sat down across from him. Kelly said, "you 
seem a little distracted, Ed. What's the matter?"

"I wish I had known him better."

"Why?"

Ed glanced down at his plate without really seeing it. A year spent 
away from the desert had nearly destroyed him, but he felt that 
William Redman would have thrived anywhere. With a trace of 
envy in his voice, he said, "The man had an inner strength that I 
feel I lack."

Kelly couldn't help herself and broke out in laughter. Her reaction 
shocked Ed as he stared at her wondering what he had said that 
was so funny. When she finally calmed down, she said, "You are 
the strongest man I have ever met."

Puzzled, Ed asked, "What do you mean? I could barely take a year 
away from here."

She looked at him and said, "A year? My goodness, you spent 
almost three years at the college. Did you forget nine months of 
sitting by the side of Linda while she was pregnant? Did you forget 
all of the time during the first year when you were helping John 
with the first crop of students?"

"I guess, but I should still be there with my family." Ed sighed at 
the thought that he was letting his family down.

Shaking her head, she said, "The first two years you were there, 
you did it out of love. This past year you felt obliged to be there. 
Obligation is horrible task master."

Ed stared at Kelly surprised at what she had said. She continued, 
"You gave up everything that makes you Ed. You gave up the 
desert. If anything defines you, it is the desert. You gave up a 
whole town of friends, your businesses, and your home."

"I know, but…"

Kelly cut him off as she said, "What did you get out of all that 
sacrifice? The chance to teach three classes a day. By noon, your 
duties were done. Then what did you have? Your family? Leroy 
and Linda are gone most of the time. Ling has been traveling a lot. 
You look at the staff as family. I have no idea how you managed to 
stay away from Marguerite for so long."

There was nothing that Ed could say in response. She had told him 
a truth and one that he hadn't wanted to hear, but needed to hear. 
Sitting back in his chair, he thought about it realizing that he would 
have to spend some time on the desert thinking about it. He had to 
laugh, as that was her point. "Okay. You're right and that's why 
I've been so miserable the last year. John didn't really need my help 
anymore."

He looked down at his plate and examined the food that remained. 
Shaking his head at the medium rare food, he said, "I'm going to 
have to teach that woman how to cook meat to the proper level of 
doneness."

Kelly laughed as she left the chair, happy to see her husband acting 
like himself again. Robert White Feather sat down and said, "I 
talked to John about your children coming to live with us for a 
year. William Redman and I had talked about it before. I will be 
glad to take them in."

"Thank you, Robert. The children need it."

"I'm impressed with your children. They are very advanced for 
their age. I was listening to Beth argue with one of the tribal 
members about how best to keep statistics about his web site. It 
was clear that she understands mathematics very well." Robert was 
talking about all of the kids, but his eyes were resting upon 
William. The youngest child of the Carter Clan was a mystery.

"It is William that intrigues you the most, though."

"Yes."

****

Authors note: The burial rite described above is based on a written 
description of a Navaho funeral that took place in the 1950's. In 
that account, a Catholic priest led the funeral service and an 
undertaker was in charge of the burial service. I removed the roles 
of the Non-Native Americans. I hope this description has not 
offended any Native Americans.