Heartbeat Braves

by Pamela Sanderson

  Linda called out from the main room. She was wearing a cute yellow sundress and long turquoise earrings that dangled almost to her shoulders. She held a takeout coffee cup, and tipped her head back to get the last few sips.

  “How did you manage to get here so early?” Rayanne said.

  “It’s easy when you don’t go to bed. The bags under my eyes have bags under their eyes.” She pointed to her face but, other than a little puffiness, she looked great.

  Henry called from the kitchen, “How do you take your coffee?”

  “Sugar. Milk. Thanks,” she called back. To Rayanne she said, “He’s bringing me coffee.”

  “If you want him as an assistant, he’s all yours.”

  When Henry brought in the coffee, he had a plate of muffins too.

  Ester returned from changing. She wore a short-sleeved blouse and a skirt. She moved fast when she saw the muffins. She had her mouth full when she told Henry, “These are the things that make life worth living.”

  Rayanne tried one and agreed, they were amazing. Maybe Henry wasn’t so terrible to work with after all. He’d shown up, done whatever they’d asked, and been charming and polite.

  “These are good,” she said.

  “I’m glad you like them,” he said. “I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me.”

  Linda had a little notebook out and paged through it. “We need to go over our plan.”

  “You’re cute when you try to be organized,” Rayanne said.

  “Gee, thanks,” Linda said. “Cute is what I was going for. Ester, can you deal with the projector stuff?”

  While Ester unraveled cables and set up the equipment, they reviewed the agenda and major points they wanted the board of directors to hear.

  “I miss Margie,” Rayanne said. “She always supported everything we did.”

  “We all wish Margie were here,” Linda said. “But this is the board and Arnie is the man now. We need to impress these people.”

  On cue Arnie arrived, blustering through the door like the star of the show.

  “Smells like Grandma’s huckleberry muffins.” His voice boomed across the room. Here was a man incapable of making a quiet entrance. He wore a nice suit and a bolo tie fashioned with a huge polished stone.

  “Not Grandma, but next best thing,” Rayanne said.

  Henry came out of the kitchen with another plate of muffins. “Hey, Uncle Arnie.”

  “Don’t call me that. It makes me sound like I’m a hundred years old.” Arnie took a muffin, and ate half in one bite. “Not bad. I need a word.” He nudged Henry back toward the kitchen.

  Arnie gave Henry a dismayed once-over. “Why are you in the kitchen wearing an apron?”

  “To keep my clothes clean,” Henry said.

  “I need you out here listening to what’s going on so you understand how the place works.”

  Arnie took another muffin. “This is a terrific idea. Baking to get everyone on your side.”

  That was Henry’s reasoning when he decided to go through with Mom’s idea, but now that Arnie mentioned it, the move felt transparent, like hey, look at me over here baking and being helpful.

  “I’m in charge of the food all day,” Henry told him. “That’s why I’m here.”

  A single huckleberry bounced off of Arnie’s shirt, leaving a pale purple dot.

  “Shit.” Arnie went to the sink, and used a wet paper towel to blot at the mark. “You can drop the BS. Your mom told me you lost your apartment.”

  “It hasn’t happened yet. And I can figure out how to pay my own bills.” Arnie needed to return to the main room and leave him alone.

  “Pay attention to what they’re doing. We’ll find a project that you’re interested in,” Arnie said.

  “Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate that you did this. I’ve learned a lot. Mostly that I’m not cut out for this. I want to get through today, and then go back to my own plans.”

  Any levity in the conversation vanished. “Here are the stakes Mr. Do-my-own-thing. Your mom wants me to get you a job out on the rez. She’s convinced your Uncle Mike to give you a room at their house. If I were you, I’d jump at the chance to live out there, but I’m not and I’m guessing that you prefer to be here, close to the fancy restaurants and rock clubs. Consider taking this more seriously.”

  Arnie went back into the main room and made an announcement. His voice rose above everyone else’s. Henry couldn’t make it out with the anger boiling inside. Now they were making plans for him, even arranging his housing. And he was supposed to appreciate all this? He put together another plate of muffins and joined the others.

  By this time everyone had arrived and settled in the main room. The chairs and couches had been arranged in a big U. A projection screen hung from one wall. Henry recognized the four other board members who joined Arnie and the staff. There were another half dozen people who he assumed were the attorneys and consultants that Linda and Rayanne had talked about during planning.

  Tommy waved him over and pointed to the chair next to his. He handed over a familiar-looking binder. Henry had been the one to put them together. It contained the agenda, an assortment of charts, and lists of talking points.

  “What about you?” Henry asked, noticing that Tommy didn’t have his own binder.

  “I don’t need it,” Tommy said. Moments later he made a face because Rayanne stuck another one in his hands. She gave them each a pen too.

  “Be sure to take notes,” she said. She returned to her seat at the table with Linda. Together they looked like students, bent over their pads of paper. Ester sat close by, typing into a laptop.

  Linda prepared to open the meeting, but Arnie waved her off and went to the front of the room. “There going to be a microphone?”

  Linda’s face had gone rigid. Arnie may have had numerous accomplishments under his belt, but he had no clue how to read people.

  She said, “Do we need a microphone? This is a little ol’ retreat, not a revival meeting.”

  Arnie smiled. “You know best. Who’s going to do the opening prayer?”

  One of the older board members, Lou, shot out of his seat, moving fast for a big guy with a bum leg.

  Both Linda and Rayanne flinched. They’d discussed this, and chose another board member named Pauline to do the prayer.

  “Get comfortable,” Tommy whispered. “Lou is going to talk as long as no one stops him. And that’s before he starts the prayer.”

  “I’m not going to say much,” Lou said. “But before I start talking, I have a few things to say.” He had a kind face and laughed a lot although Henry couldn’t follow his story. He spoke about his grandfather, who had served in the war, and how he’d come home to hunt but the government came in and took all the water. His grandfather also played basketball, like so many kids today. Why wasn’t there more basketball? The story lurched from topic to topic.

  Rayanne would check her phone, and then tap her pen on the agenda in front of her. She tried to attract Linda’s attention, but Linda kept her eyes on Lou.

  Tommy leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes.

  Rayanne had planned the day’s activities to the minute. By Henry’s estimate, they were already behind and they hadn’t started yet.

  Arnie had remained at the front of the room next to Lou, his hands clasped together in front of him, his eyes lowered to the ground. He reached over and touched Lou’s elbow. “There a prayer in there somewhere, Uncle?”

  Lou laughed, his scratchy voice ringing out. “I talk a lot.”

  “I don’t think anyone noticed,” Arnie said in a false whisper. Everyone laughed.

  Lou sang a song, and it was a long one. He held the final note, reluctant to be done. When he finished, he shuffled back to his seat.

  “I want to thank you all for this opportunity,” Arnie said.

  Now Arnie was doing a speech? Rayanne made a face as she scribbled across her agenda.

  “I’m looking forward to working with you all to make a diff
erence with urban Indians. My attention has always been on my rez, and I want to make a difference here too. We have big goals.” He gestured at Linda, who gave him a tired smile. “We’re going to raise our profile in the community. Find sponsors and partners. Grow this thing into something big. Now I turn the floor over to our talented executive director, Linda Bird.”

  Rayanne and Linda exchanged a surprised glance. They must have expected him to talk for a while too. Rayanne nudged her and Linda went to the front of the room.

  In the office, Linda came across as a person who brought disorder to everything she touched. It was tough to imagine this was the same person. She was an energetic speaker who could make the most mundane topics interesting. Arnie could learn a thing from her. She talked about the issues that Indian families in the city faced. She told stories of people that the center had helped. They had connected individuals with medical care. They’d acquired bus passes and helped with job applications. She spoke of her long-range dream to buy an apartment building where they could provide affordable housing.

  The board had lots of questions, but she was prepared. Henry flipped back and forth through the binder, taking notes. The morning flew by and before he knew it they were talking about lunch.

  He jumped to his feet. “We’re having sandwiches. I’m saving the good stuff for dinner. Give me a minute and I’ll have everything set out.”

  Rayanne set her plate down next to her laptop and reviewed her presentation. If her time ended up being cut short, she didn’t want to leave out any key points.

  “It’s a retreat,” Linda said, coming up beside her. “You should be out there building relationships, improving communication, and most importantly, kissing the boards’ brown fannies.”

  “You might want to lay off the coffee for the rest of the day, boss.”

  “Come along,” Linda said.

  Rayanne closed the computer and followed Linda outside.

  The midday sun was warm, and the sky a cloudless blue. A breeze came off the pond, and brought the quiet chatter of birds.

  Once everyone had a plate, Henry joined them outside. He picked the spot next to Rayanne, his elbow brushing her side when he sat down. The contact added an extra, sweet warmth to her day. The success of the morning session had washed away the cloud of worry. Already the future of the center was improved. Henry’s presence turned out to be a calming force rather than a steady aggravation.

  “You’re right,” he said.

  “About which thing?”

  “I am learning a lot.”

  “Thinking of sticking around?” She tilted her head, surprised that she wanted to hear that he was.

  He took his time finding an answer. “If there’s a project that makes sense for me, then maybe.”

  The lunch break went quickly. As they were picking up their plates, ready to head back in, Arnie called for everyone’s attention.

  “Let’s do a short walk around the place before we go back in.”

  “But we’ve got a full agenda for the rest of the day,” Linda said.

  “I don’t know about you, but eating makes me drowsy. It’s gorgeous out here. We’re surrounded by beauty. A ten-minute walk in the sunshine will wake us up for the afternoon.” Arnie pointed to the path that led around the pond.

  “Can you believe that man?” Linda said to Rayanne.

  “You sound like my mom,” Henry said.

  Linda hid behind her hair. “I shouldn’t have said that. I meant—”

  “We know what you meant,” Henry said. He jumped up to chase after an errant napkin picked up by the breeze.

  “I’m going to help clean up, and then run back in so I can review my presentation,” Rayanne said.

  “You’re leaving me to deal with this?” Linda said. The others had already taken off down the path.

  “To walk around the pond? Yes. Those are your friends. Remember?” Tommy and Ester had paused at the pond’s edge to skip stones.

  “I remember.” Linda followed the others.

  Henry returned with a garbage bag, and held it open while Rayanne tossed in the stack of paper plates she’d collected. They gathered the rest of the trash and carried everything back to the kitchen.

  “Let’s go join them,” Henry said, nodding toward outside.

  Rayanne shook her head. “I need to prepare. I’m on when we get back.”

  “We know you. I bet you’ve been preparing for this since January.”

  “Not quite that long,” she said, pushing her hair back.

  “Come on,” Henry said. He touched her shoulder and then slid his hand down her arm and lightly grasped her wrist. “Fresh air is good. You can practice your presentation on me.”

  Rayanne pulled back but there was no force in it. He didn’t let go.

  “I need to do it with a screen,” she said, her voice quiet.

  Henry took a half-step closer. He smelled like vanilla and huckleberries. How did he do that? He’d been setting out sliced cheese and cleaning salmon, yet he smelled terrific. He leaned closer. “You’ll deal with the screen later.”

  The attraction manifested everywhere at once. She needed to be touching him, and the hand on her wrist was not enough. Her other hand hovered while she determined the most efficient way of conveying her meaning with the least amount of risk.

  Everything was quiet except for a distant shushing noise, like air leaking from a hose, followed by dismayed cries in the distance.

  “Something’s happening,” she said.

  Henry changed his grip so he was holding her hand. Whatever trajectory she had implied, he was ready to complete. In the haze of attraction she identified the sound.

  “Sprinklers?”

  Linda hollered her name.

  They dropped hands and ran to the door. All across the meadow, jets of water whooshed out in overlapping arcs. The retreat participants beat a hasty trail back to the house.

  “I’ll find Pepe,” Henry said.

  Linda helped Pauline, who struggled through the wet grass.

  “Help Lou,” Linda shouted. Her hair was already limp and straggled around her shoulders. Her gorgeous dress had gone sheer, and clung to her skin.

  There was no way to avoid getting wet. The water hit in cold, forceful spurts. Rayanne ran to Lou, who was disoriented by the water.

  “What’s going on?” he asked, grabbing her arm for support.

  “Come on,” Rayanne said, trying to blink the water from her eyes. “Let’s get you out of here.”

  Her clothes were soaked in moments. Lou kept listing toward the source of the water. Rayanne had to pull to keep him on course for the house. The sprinklers lost intensity, and then went off with a squelch.

  Pepe came running down the slope. “Sorry! We were testing our timer system and I messed it up. I didn’t realize you would be outside.” Pepe moved from one guest to the other, his distress so genuine it was hard to be angry with him. “There are towels in the house.”

  “It’s okay,” Arnie said. “Wasn’t my best suit.” He’d taken off his jacket but his shirt was wet and clinging to his skin, as well.

  Ester had a muddy patch on her skirt from falling down. “Best retreat I’ve ever been to,” she said. “I don’t know why we don’t do this more often.”

  “I’m glad I’m not the one who suggested a walk,” Rayanne said.

  Henry came out of the house with an armload of towels. Rayanne helped Lou find a seat, and brought him a towel. She made sure everyone who needed one had something to dry off with.

  Henry found her and draped a towel over her shoulders.

  “Thanks,” she said. “Where did Linda go?”

  “She had to change.” He made a gesture as if to brush off his front. “Your shirt.”

  Rayanne glanced down and hurried to pull the towel more tightly around her. She had worn a white knit blouse with a bralette, and the water had plastered everything to her skin. She’d been concerned about Linda’s revealing outfit, and it didn’t occur
to her to check her own. No imagination was necessary, the material clung around the curve of her breasts, and her nipples pointed up like they were trying to break free.

  Henry kept his eyes averted. “Do you have something to change into?”

  “I can get by like this for now.”

  “I have a T-shirt you can wear.”

  Rayanne bit back a tart remark. She could imagine what kind of shirt Henry would want her to wear, but she dreaded the idea of sitting in a wet blouse all afternoon.

  “Meet me in the spare room. You can look at it and decide.”

  Inside he handed her a beige T-shirt.

  “Beat Braves?” The image was a cartoon of three Indians. Two held guitars, the other, a microphone.

  “The band.”

  “Of course,” Rayanne said. “Thanks.”

  “We were going to spell it B-R-A-V-E-Z but people might think it’s pronounced bra-vehz.”

  “Can’t have that.”

  Henry stood there.

  “I’m going to need you to get lost while I change.”

  “You sure?” he said with a smile.

  “I am.” She grabbed him by the shoulder, which was warm, firm, and difficult to let go of, but she pushed him out the door.

  She peeled off her wet shirt, and after a moment of consideration, left the wet bralette on. She pulled on Henry’s shirt. The material was soft. She couldn’t help it, she took a whiff but it smelled like fresh laundry.

  She went out and hung her wet shirt over the back of a chair and rejoined the meeting.

  10

  Henry listened from the back of the room. The tone of the room shifted after the sprinkler fiasco. The morning session had been serious and fast-paced. The afternoon was more of a drowsy affair. Henry wanted to stay where he was, but Arnie’s gestures escalated until it looked like he might hurt himself. Henry returned to his seat next to Tommy.

  Rayanne had talked about her presentation all week but he still didn’t know what it was about. When she finally got up there, her voice was pitched higher than usual, and the words came out in a rush. After the first few slides Linda asked her a question, which must have been a signal they’d worked out in advance, because Rayanne closed her eyes and took a deep breath.