A Kachina Dance (12 page)

“I sure hope so but if it doesn’t happen at le
ast I’ll know I gave it a shot.
I’ll have no regrets.
Don’t you think I’ve thought about all the negatives of this relationship
,
too?
Mother, I am
almost 32
years old
.
I won’t marry anyone just because he has a pedigree and a profession.  You should know me better than that.
Jay is the only man wh
o has ever made me feel so happy
. We come from different worlds
yet our chemistry is so right.
It’s time to
let love into my life
.
”

“
Eh,
chemistry, you can’t live on it. You need money and a husband with a career then you’ll be happy.  Katie, you live in a dream world.
I’ll ask
your broth
er to talk some sense into you.
If you won’t listen to me maybe he’ll make you see how foolish you both are being.”

I leave the apartment, sandwiches in hand
, feeling my Mother just doesn’t get
it. I decide to walk back home.
It’s a long walk but it’s a warm,
sunny afternoon.
The fresh air seems to make me feel jubilant and
no longer sick.
I have an appetite
by the time I reach home
.

“Hi sweetheart, I brought some lunch.”

Jay turns from taping up a carton and gives me his half smile. “I’
d love to eat. How did it go?”
He takes me in his arms.  “You look happy so it wasn’t the inqui
si
tion?”

“
Worse, she’ll never understand.
But she does make good chicken salad and that I’ll miss.”

“Hmm, I think there’s going to be a l
o
t you’ll miss
.”

“Well, then you’ll jus
t
have to care for
my needs.
Now sit down
,
I could eat a horse.”

As we share my goody bag Jay says casually, “Your Dad was here for a
while
to help with the packing
.
He
brought some bagels and rolls.
We had coffee together.
He’s a great guy.
Oh,
he left this envelope for you.
I am to tell yo
u this is between you and him.
You are not to tell your moth
er and you can underline that.”
He laughs.

I open the sealed envelope and find
a stack of crisp, n
ew $100 bills inside and gasp.
“There must be a couple of thousand here.”

“Correction, $10,000,
and
he said
it is to be used for our new life together.
I
f we ne
ed more, just give him a call.” Jay laughs.
“
Oh, h
e asked me how muc
h money I had in the bank.
I told him what
I had but it wasn’t in the bank; it was
under your mattress.  H
e slapped
me on the shoulder, laughed
,
and
said, ‘
I had less money when I married Katie’s Mother and we did alright’.”

“Wow, do you think he knows
what we’re planning
?”

Jay shrugs his shoulders and gives me
a hug and
his little
smile.

“
Oh, expect a
call from my brother tonight.
If Mother couldn’t change my mind to sta
y, she’ll
send in the big guns.
Did you say there were bagels?”

“Yeah,
ya
’ know I’m getting to like bagels
, too
.”

***

Jay
’
s jus
t finishing packing the truck.
Yup, you guessed it,
he wants to drive.
Well, at least we’re not taking the bus.
We’ll make it
fun.
Cara and Mark plan on
coming down in a few weeks
for our wedding.
I almost forgot to tell you, Jay proposed in Santa Fe, the wee
kend we went looking for jobs.
We bought the silver wedding bands there, too, from a local Native artist in the square. 
Don’t tell Mother.
It will just be the 4 of us.
Cara and Mark have been very supportive.

I’m hoping Father will give
me a down
payment on a house since he wo
n’t have to pay
for a wedding.
I’m sure Mother and Father will be down to visit or should
I say inspect our new life
.
I know Father will have a grand time. He may even sneak a ride on Jay’
s motorcycle.
Mother, well, after she stops co
mplaining about the heat,
she’ll
go shopping for some turquoise and
silver jewelry and
she’ll
be fine
.
She’ll probably make her chicken salad, too.

I know I keep smiling but I do have some rather une
xpected news to tell Jay later.
It looks like I don’t have the flu after all,
it
’
s
morning sickness.

Mother was right after all!

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