Our Journey

by Tey Holden

  Dannie interjected, “if you prefer to stay in your RV, since you have all your stuff there, it’s fine. You can park it here and use the house for whatever you need and for as long as you want. It’s up to you.”

  “I’d like to see how far we are from the city since I’ll be commuting there every day. I would also like to meet Cindy and the others,” Kate replied, looking at all of them, more specifically at Jo.

  “Sure. Let me check with the others to see if they can come for dinner one night this week and arrange a visit to Cindy’s house, so that you can see her place and meet her family up close and personal.” Dannie spoke, looking at them, and at Wally to make sure that she was not forgetting anything.

  “Well, it looks like we have a plan,” Wally said.

  “I would also like to see the land to be developed,” Jo said to Wally.

  “Of course. I’ll give you the grand tour whenever you’re ready. But now, you guys need to settle in and rest. It’s been a long day, and you must be tired.” As they were walking out, Dannie handed the keys of the house to Kate. Just about then, Wally turned around and shook Jo’s hand. “Thank you for your service, Jo.”

  Jo was taken by surprise, shook her hand, and nodded. They watched Dannie and Wally walk out and get in their car. Dannie opened her window and said, “By the way, I forgot to mention that there’s a company-provided SUV in the garage for your use. The keys are hanging on the wall by the garage door. We’ll be in touch.” Wally pulled her SUV around the circular driveway and left.

  As soon as they were gone, Jo turned to Kate. “What do you think? Do you like them?”

  “Frankly, I don’t know what to think! This is pretty awesome. I love the house, and then there’s a car too, that’s one less thing to buy and free rent?” Kate widened her eyes. We need to check the area and my commute. But most importantly, we need to meet Cindy and the rest of the people, but only if you like the work. How do you feel about that?”

  “It all sounds great but like you said, we need to check out a few things. Let’s not rush into anything.”

  “Let’s stay in the house, and check it out. It’s a gorgeous home. I wonder if all the houses look the same?” Kate asked.

  “We’ll ask them to give us a tour of the ones already built. I’m going to get our stuff out of the RV for tonight.”

  ***

  The following day, as planned, they drove to town, checked the hospital where Kate would be working and the area around it. They had lunch in town and picked up a few groceries. When they got back to the house, Jo called Wally and made plans for the following day to visit the housing project already developed and the land to be developed. Dannie made plans with Kate to have lunch at her house and later go to town and do some girl shopping.

  By the time Wally and Jo got back, it was already late evening. “Hi, babe. How was it?”

  “Good. I’ll tell you all about it over dinner. I’m starving.”

  “I thought that you might have already eaten, but don’t worry, I made plenty.”

  “No, there are not many places to eat out there. It’s rough and wild country.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, it’s pretty awesome, but all that will change. Those houses will sell just like the ones already built. I’ll take you tomorrow to see them. They’re amazing, and the urbanization and landscaping are like out of architectural design magazines.”

  “Wow, I can’t wait to see them. So, what are you thinking?

  “I don’t know, Kate. If it were just the two of us, I’d take it, but I’m worried about Mellie’s daycare arrangement. What if we don’t like Cindy? The way I see it, I’d have to commit to the job for at least a year. Even if I work from home on blueprints over winter, Wally will need someone to start the work in the spring. It’s a great opportunity for me to start a company, but she’s fronting the money, and there’s a lot of it riding on the project. If I commit, I need to see it through.”

  “Jo, can you do the work?”

  “With my eyes closed, honey.”

  “Then, if you like it and you think it’ll be good for us, take it. We have six months to explore daycare. I think there might also be a childcare center at the hospital. I’ll check that out too,” Kate looked at Jo and waited expectantly. “What”

  “What about your commute?”

  “Jo! It’s like fifteen minutes!”

  “Yes, but what about in the winter? We’re talking Wyoming winters.”

  “I’m sorry, babe, but you’ll have to agree with me that we cannot anticipate every possible outcome. People live here, and they manage. We will too.”

  “We’ll have to buy appropriate vehicles,” Jo said.

  “And we will.”

  “You can stay at the hospital overnight if it snows a lot. Promise me you will.”

  “Jo! I promise, but you need to stop worrying about everything! Go talk to Wally now.”

  Jo smiled. “I like it when you get all bossy.”

  Kate matched Jo’s smile. “We can explore my bossiness tonight.”

  “I’ll be looking forward to following all your orders. I’m going to call Wally.”

  Wally and Dannie were delighted with Jo’s decision to take the offer. That week, Dannie made arrangements for a cookout on Friday, so that Jo and Kate could meet everyone.

  Chapter 11

  As planned, Jo began to work on the blueprints from home. On certain occasions, while it was still early in the fall, she had to go onsite to take measurements with the crew. Whenever that happened, she’d dropped off Mellie at Cindy’s for a couple of hours at a time to get her acquainted with Cindy and her girls. Cindy’s daughters were delightful, and Mellie took to them immediately. Jo was astonished when the little one never looked back when she left and always seemed happy enjoying her playtime whenever Jo arrived to pick her up.

  Occasionally, before picking up Mellie, she would stop by Wally’s project to see what was going on and how they were building the houses. “Hey, there! What brings you here?” Wally greeted her.

  “I was just out on the field with the measuring crew and thought I’d stop by to see how you’re doing here.”

  “Well, we’re kind of wrapping things up as fast as we can. Snow could fall any day now, and anything not done will most likely have to wait until spring. I’m having some difficulties because my workers have been frightened with news of a bear that attacked a couple of campers not far from here. At this time of the year, food is scarce and animals are hungry. Add to that, people carelessly leaving food everywhere, and we have a situation. This particular bear now knows to come down to get what he wants.”

  “Isn’t there some agency to call to look out for the bear?”

  “Well, the game warden knows the situation, but what can he do? No one knows when or where this bear will show up, and the workers are worried about working out in the field.”

  Just then, the foremen approached Wally with some paperwork. Jo stuck around, and when Wally was done talking to her employee, she began to give her the tour of the construction site.

  All of a sudden, they noticed a big commotion in the distance. Several men and women wearing hard hats were running downhill towards the main construction area. As they got closer, they heard them yelling that the bear was coming down the mountain.

  In the distance, they could see the bear running and gaining ground on the fleeing workers. One of the last laborers in the group tripped and fell several times, which allowed the bear to get even closer. People who were watching ran for cover, in fright.

  “Shit!” Wally said, “We need to call 911 and the warden. Quick, get in the truck! The bear is coming this way. Oh, my God! That poor man!”

  All of a sudden, Wally’s eyes widened when she saw Jo pick up and load a rifle from the bed of a truck next to hers.

  Standing by the door of her truck, Wally froze, watching in awe as Jo walked towards the area where everyone was running from and where the last man in the group was about
to collapse. When the man stumbled and fell one last time, the bear was almost on him when Jo fired two shots. The bear immediately turned and ran back towards the woods.

  Wally could not believe her eyes. If anyone had told her what had happened, she wouldn’t have believed them. As cool as ever, Jo walked to the man on the ground and gave him a hand. “Are you alright?”

  Still in shock, the man nodded. By now, everyone on the project had come to check on the very shaken man and to look at Jo up close. “I think someone should call the warden to let him know about the bear,” Jo said.

  Someone had already called, and the warden was there within minutes. Jo said nothing and simply retreated to the truck to return the rifle she had used. “Are you okay?” Wally asked, still in awe.

  “Yeah, why is everyone looking at me? Aren’t people around here used to dealing with bears?”

  “Not really,” Carson, the site foreman, replied. “Other animals yes, but bears are rare.”

  “Well, for the record, that was my first. I wouldn’t want anyone thinking that I go around confronting bears.”

  “I hope not.” The new voice belonged to the game warden. “Where’s the bear?” The warden asked.

  “He ran back to the woods,” Carson said.

  “Who fired the shots?” The warden asked, looking around.

  “I did,” Jo replied. “He was about to pounce on that guy over there.” Jo pointed to the young man who was being treated by the paramedic that had just arrived along with the warden.

  “We’re going to need statements. These animals are protected, and if this bear is coming after people, we may need evidence to hunt it down. Do you live around here?” He asked Jo.

  Jo and Wally explained to the warden who she was and what they were doing at the project when the incident occurred.

  “I need to see your driver’s license, ma’am.” Jo gave the warden her license, and he went to his car to run it.

  “Do you think I may be in trouble?” Jo asked Wally.

  “No, I don’t think so.”

  The warden came back and handed the license back to Jo. “I need to take a statement from you.”

  “Sure, officer,” Jo replied. The warden took her aside, and Jo made her statement.

  “Am I free to leave now, I need to pick up my daughter.”

  “Yes, sure. I’ll take statements from the others.”

  “The rifle I used it’s not mine. I found it on the bed of that blue and grey truck over there. I already put it back.” She pointed to the vehicle. As she turned to leave, she spoke to Wally. “I have to pick up Mellie at Cindy’s. I’ll talk to you later.” She walked towards her vehicle as if nothing had happened.

  Wally chuckled as she watched her go. When Jo left, Wally walked towards the crowd gathered around the warden.

  Everyone was talking about how Jo had walked straight to the bear to fire the shots, and how she had shown no fear. There was also talk about how could she have known that the bear would turn back, and if she would have shot it if it had attacked her. As if things weren’t already turning into a full-blown story, the man almost mauled by the bear was Arancel, the eldest son of Nager, the Native American Council Chief.

  Wally wondered if this event would have an impact on the labor community. Construction companies depended on skilled and non-skilled labor mostly provided by the local Native American tribes to carry on their work. At times, there had been friction between the tribes and their employers due to poor working conditions and pay. Wally’s company had not had that kind of problem because she was a fair employer, but she knew that Gordon, the owner of Terra, had huge problems with the local labor. The only problem Wally had with the local labor force was their disposition to work.

  They worked to make a living and lived within their community. They had no desire to work overtime to make extra money because they weren’t into the consumerism that had taken over in the rest of the world. Because they didn’t need the extra money, it was challenging to motivate them to work extra hours when more work was required to finish anything on time.

  After the warden took the statements, he left. And when all was settled, Wally got in her SUV and went home.

  Wally had called Dannie, from the construction project, to let her know that she would be late that evening. When she arrived home, Dannie immediately came to greet her. “Hey, what happened? What kept you out there so long?” At that time of the year, Wally would usually get home earlier because the sun had already set, and construction would have already stopped for the day.

  “You’re not going to believe me when I tell you!” Wally’s excitement made Dannie laugh.

  “What? Don’t tell me the bear showed up?” Dannie had also heard about the bear that had been threatening the community.

  “Yep! The bear showed up and almost clawed one of the guys.” Wally’s eyes were wide with excitement.

  “Oh, my God, Wally! Were you there, did you see it? Is he hurt? Are you okay?”

  “Yes, I was there and saw the whole thing, and nobody was hurt thanks to, guess who?”

  “Who?”

  “Jo.”

  “Our Jo?”

  “Yes, our Jo. Dannie, you should have seen her! She grabbed a rifle from a truck next to mine, walked directly towards the bear,” Wally began to pace imitating how Jo’s movements, “and fired two shots. You should have seen it! I still can’t believe it.” Wally placed her hands on the sides of her head as if trying to push something in there.

  “Did she kill the bear?” Dannie asked, astonished.

  “No, but the bear was frightened and turned back towards the woods.”

  “Oh, my God! That was fortunate! Was she hurt?”

  “No, not hurt, not a drop of sweat from her, nothing! She loaded the rifle, walked up, and took the shots. That woman has some nerve!” Wally chuckled.

  Dannie sat stunned, listening to Wally’s recount of the events. “The guy the bear chased was Arancel.”

  “The Chief’s son? Is he alright?” Dannie asked, widening her eyes.

  “Yes, he was terrified. Jo gave him a hand, he stood up, and walked away with her. I still cannot believe it. I had to stay because the warden had to take statements from everyone who saw the event. He needs evidence to justify going after the bear if it continues to show up.”

  “Where’s Jo?” Dannie asked.

  “After the warden took her statement, she left because she had to pick up Mellie at Cindy’s.”

  “Jesus, Wally! You let her go just like that? Was she shaken up? I mean, was she okay to pick up Mellie?”

  “Dannie, if there was one single person who was not in shock in that whole place, it was Jo. I don’t think she realized what she did.”

  “Is she in any kind of trouble with the warden?”

  “No, not after what I saw and heard.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Dannie, we may be in Wyoming, but even here, people don’t face a bear every day! While everyone was running in panic, she was the only one who walked towards the bear and did something about it. Everyone saw her, and now she’s all they talk about.” Wally laughed.

  Surprised, Dannie put a hand on her mouth. “Does Kate know about any of this?”

  “I imagine Jo will tell her after she comes home from work. I’m sure she’ll call you later tonight.”

  ***

  After Jo picked up Mellie, she drove home and made dinner. Kate arrived an hour later. “Hi, family!” Mellie immediately ran up to her. “Hi, baby, how was your day? Did you have fun with Mommy Jo today?” She kissed her daughter and walked into the kitchen and kissed Jo taking a little longer with that kiss than she had with Mellie. “Umm, you taste good! And it smells great. What are you cooking?”

  Jo smiled when she heard her say that she tasted good. She knew the statement had more than one meaning. “Gram’s beef stew and vegetables. How was work?”

  “Good, too much of it, but I like it. So, did you go out with the crew to
day for measurements?”

  “Yes, I did, but only for a couple of hours, and on the way back, I stopped at Wally’s project to catch up with her. Don’t worry, I left Mellie with Cindy.”

  At first, Jo had been taking Mellie with her to the construction site, but Kate was not in favor of that because she thought it might be too dusty for Mellie, so they had agreed that Mellie would go to Cindy’s whenever Jo had to go to the field. They also thought that leaving Mellie for short periods of time with Cindy would make an easier transition for her.

  “So, are you done measuring?”

  “No, it’s a large area. We need to go out there again.”

  “Anything new? Did Mellie do okay?”

  “Yes, Miss Mellie seems to be having a great time over there. Would you believe she doesn’t even look back at me when I leave?”

  Kate laughed. Jo appeared to be hurt by Mellie’s attitude. “Jo, don’t take that personally! That child adores you. In fact, that is a very good thing, you know?”

  “What? That she doesn’t care that her mom is leaving?”

  Kate laughed again. “Yes, you should be glad that she’s happy when you leave. Some kids cling on to their parents, and they make it very difficult for the parent to leave because they feel terrible about leaving them crying.”

  “Well, I guess that’s a good thing then.”

  “So, anything else?” Kate asked.

  “Yeah, one other thing.” She pursed her lips and looked at Kate in the eyes.

  “What?”

  “I had to face a bear.”

  “What do you mean?”

  When Jo finished the story, Kate was stunned and mad.

  “First, are you hurt?”

  “No, I’m fine.”

  “Now, let me ask you another question, are you out of your mind? What the hell were you thinking confronting a bear? He could have mauled you, or killed you?” Kate got up from her chair and paced in the kitchen.

  “The bear would have killed the guy if I hadn’t scared it.”

  “How did you know the bear was going to run away? What if it hadn’t?”

  “I would have shot it. I was prepared to shoot again.”