Mali shook her head and glanced at her middle child who had begun feeding the ellies some fruit. “My lazy one. The boy would rather swing in the hammock all day or play with the animals than to do any kind of work—school or otherwise. I don’t know what I’m going to do about him.”
“He’s young yet,” Natalie said, simultaneously thinking he sounded a lot like her. Growing up, she’d much rather spend time with her animals than do homework. “Let him be. I’m sure he’ll find his way.”
With a start, she remembered her father saying the exact same thing about Stephen.
Twenty-Five
Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime.
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time.
-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Siriporn stood at Natalie’s side, his thumbs tucked into his pockets, his baseball cap on backward so his view of Sophie would not be obstructed. “Deeper, Dr. Natalie, deeper.” He was in his element, sure of himself, the teacher rather than the one being taught. More than two months into training, and he was not quite satisfied with the authority Natalie exerted when she commanded Sophie.
“Hou!” The Thai command for ‘stop’ and the gritty way she had to pronounce it razor-scraped against the sides of her throat. She’d been hoarse for days but determined to get this language down. Now Sophie watched Natalie intently whenever she raised her voice. Natalie had to admit it made her proud to see Sophie responding as well as she did without the need to lift the training baton she used in protected contact.The long pole had made Sophie nervous at first, but Natalie had rubbed the rounded cotton tip with some banana and left it where Sophie could smell it. Eventually, Sophie’s fears eased, then Natalie got her used to being touched with the pole. Hours of that training before Natalie coupled some commands with the pole. Then she was able to back Sophie up to get her medicine or to be examined. It had been going well. But no matter how well the training went, Sophie would never like dogs, and since the dogs at the sanctuary were used to roaming freely, Natalie felt fairly certain she’d always have to ensure that Sophie had a human escort nearby. Right now, that human escort was Natalie.
“Sok,” she told Sophie, and the elephant backed out of the pen. One more command—Phae—to come, and Sophie followed Natalie freely, peacefully.
They rewarded her—and Ali—with a visit to the mud pits. Siriporn and Natalie sat on the cement fence posts, giggling as their charges rolled and splashed mud on themselves and each other, so happy in the mud pit that they trumpeted with pure pleasure. Natalie and Siriporn chatted, as they often did, about the other elephants, about the weather, and about the people they knew. Siriporn gossiped nonstop, Natalie had discovered, and because he delighted in shocking her, she now knew that Chanchai dated Jabari’s sister and that Jabari had been caught drunk at least three times in the past month on rice whiskey that he made and sold to the other mahouts (and that his mother had thrown him out).
But what Siriporn liked to talk about more than anything else was politics. During the past couple of months, his English had improved by leaps and bounds. Now when he told Natalie about his beliefs and asked her about the United States’ democratic system, he added new words to his vocabulary every time they talked.
“If the Thai government run in democratic way like U.S., we vote on laws, yes?” Siriporn asked.
She nodded. It was hot, and they’d had this conversation before, so she was only half interested. She had never been a political person, and truth be told, she’d rather hear the latest gossip, but Siriporn was such an earnest young man and had taught her so much that discussing the political system in the States seemed a fair way to repay him.
“And military? They ruled by president?”
“Ultimately. But there are military leaders and they listen to the secretary of defense who listens to the president.”
Siriporn took a stick and started drawing a pseudo pyramid on the ground. He pointed to the pinnacle. “This the president?”
She nodded, already seeing where he was heading with his organizational chart. Ten minutes later, they had written it all out on the ground: the executive branch, the legislative, and the judicial.
He nodded and looked at the diagram one last time as if memorizing it, then he dusted his sandals over it, wiping it out.
They called the elephants back, and as the lumbering mud-covered beasts reluctantly left the pit and began walking back to Sophie’s enclosure, Siriporn turned to her. “Andrew come back, you know.”
She was surprised. “I thought he wasn’t coming until next week.”
Siriporn shrugged his shoulders. “He come tonight.”
Sophie touched Natalie’s arm with the wet tip of her trunk and rumbled gently as if sensing Natalie’s concern. She had hoped she’d be able to give Andrew another report on Sophie before Hatcher got to him. Now she wondered how much poison Hatcher had already poured into Andrew’s ear. Surely Andrew would talk to her directly. Surely, he’d come to see Sophie himself and would be able to figure out that she wasn’t the same elephant she’d been when he left. Surely, he’d give her another chance.
Or not. He’d known Hatcher longer than he’d known her, probably trusted him, and he had a history with Sophie.
They arrived at the enclosure and got Sophie into her pen. She didn’t even need to be led in anymore. The pen was like a security blanket for her, and she knew when she stepped into it that she would be fed. Sophie would do anything for food.
As Natalie shoved her hands into the large bucket full of sticky rice mixed with a calcium supplement, some sweet potatoes and squash, she thought about what she’d say to Andrew. She wished she could be completely honest and warn him about Hatcher’s tendency to be cruel to the volunteers, workers, and to her, but she was fairly certain Mali had already done that for her. Mali had phone conversations of her own with Andrew and had shared the details of some of them with Natalie. Mali had had several run-ins with Hatcher in the past couple of weeks, and though she didn’t have it in her to be nasty, she also didn’t let others bulldoze her. And she wouldn’t hesitate to share the truth with Andrew.
Siriporn called for Ali, commanded the bull to lower his head and then scrambled astride to sit with his legs behind Ali’s ears. He’d already taught the other mahouts that the only way they could ride their elephants was on the strongest part of their necks. Personally, Natalie would rather they not be ridden at all (she refused to get on Sophie’s neck), but she didn’t push the issue. At least, not yet. If she’d learned one thing while being at the sanctuary, it was that it wasn’t home, and she had to respect the Thai way of doing things, no matter how much she disagreed. Siriporn silently watched Natalie for a few moments as she fed Sophie, then told her he’d see her at dinner.
As Siriporn and Ali ambled down the road, Natalie realized he was probably headed back to the big enclosure to drop Ali off before he left the sanctuary for another of his Red Shirt meetings tonight. She wondered whether she should say something to Mali, but as she handed another sticky ball to Sophie, she decided not to. No, if Siriporn wanted to tell his mother, he would. In the meantime, she wouldn’t get in the middle.
Twenty-Six
Let us alone. Time driveth onward fast,
And in a little while our lips are dumb.
Let us alone. What is it that will last?
All things are taken from us, and become
Portions and parcels of the dreadful Past.
-Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Andrew’s opera ended abruptly, and a screen door slammed. Natalie exhaled the breath she’d been holding and waved at him standing on the porch. “Don’t you love Don Giovanni?” he called out. “No one does it better than Renee Fleming!” He smiled and began walking toward her.
Perfect, she thought. Her timing couldn’t have been b
etter. She could get a few moments of precious private moments with him before he headed for his office. She wondered whether he’d seen Peter yet.
Andrew’s hands flew around him like a bird’s wings, conducting the opera still soaring in the background. The aria ended, and he looked disappointed. “Radios were free when I was growing up. My ol’ dad always said classical music and opera would make you smart, so that’s what we listened to. Don’t know if it worked, but I do so appreciate the drama.” He laughed, struck one hand out to the side, then up into the air in a triumphant flourish.
He blasted opera on his stereo every Sunday. Natalie was never sure which one he was playing, but he sang along loudly enough for the whole sanctuary to hear. And badly. So badly, it was humorous.
As the music beckoned her up the road, Natalie remembered how much Danny loved the symphony. One moment, in particular, one precious night they went to the North Carolina Symphony alone, just the two of them. The memory, as brilliant as a ten-carat diamond.
Danny sat in the symphony hall after the lights went down, his dark head bent, nose flaring as if breathing too hard, lips tight and intent. Hands folded like a cathedral spire in his lap as he peered over the railing of their first balcony seats as the tympani pounded and cymbals clashed during the final movement of Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture. His feverish eyes alit and his little fingers twitching as if playing the tympani, and when the string section swelled for that romantic crescendo, his eyes filled and he swiped at them as if embarrassed to be so emotionally swept away.
To this day, she cannot hear that overture without falling to her knees in spasms that literally feel like they will crack her rib cage right down the middle. Each time, she can see his face. His dark eyes focused on something deep within the orchestra that no one else saw but him. He lived between the violin strings. His heart entwined in each pluck of the harp. His soul pounding with each beat of the bass drum.
Andrew’s booming hello brought her back to Thailand and the dirt road and his hut in front of her. Reluctantly, she pushed the memory aside.
“Welcome home!” she said as they hugged. “How’s everything in Kenya?”
“Three new elephants.” Andrew was proud of every animal he could rescue and she had no doubt he would be just as committed to his cause even if he was completely broke. There were some whispers that his vast estates were drying up because of recent fluctuations in the market, but at least for the moment, his philanthropy was healthy.
“But there’s been a spate of poaching, and we lost an entire family on the northern boundary of the reserve.” His voice broke, and he fought back tears, as he always did whenever one of his big lovelies fell to poachers. “The new elephants blended in well with the herd, even though they’ve been witness to the horrible murders. And you know what that means. We’ll be dealing with PTSD for a while. However, my big cows are stepping in as nannies, and I think one of them might have known the other ellies. Gives this ol’ limey a warm feeling in the cockles of my heart when their social structure is repaired.”
Andrew wearily pushed a thick hand through his shock of white hair, but he must have felt Natalie’s eyes on him because he gathered himself and looked at her. “So tell me the news about our ol’ Sophie girl. I hear you’ve made quite a turnaround with her. What kind of magic are you weaving?” He waggled a finger in her face as if he knew all of the details already.
“No magic,” she said. “Simply perseverance and a bit of empathy. Oh, and a lot of consistency. We work on moving her around, getting her to obey simple commands, over and over again, building her trust. That might seem rather simplistic, but it has worked. Also, I think it makes a difference that I’m female. Whenever there’s a guy around, she seems tense.”
Andrew chuckled and patted her on the shoulder. “Sometimes animals do have a gender preference. Would definitely explain a few things wouldn’t it?”
They sat companionably on his porch steps, and for a brief moment, everything was quiet. No birds, animals, leaves turning in the breeze. A pause of life. She took the moment to gather her thoughts about what she wanted to say.
“I’ve written up all of my reports about her, Andrew,” she began. “I’ve been keeping track of all pertinent data in my notebooks since I got here, and I’ve recorded the data into spreadsheets now. I know we have a small sample for the testing, but using Sophie as a case study, I think what I’ve done with her can be compiled into a white paper I’d like to deliver at the next World Veterinary Association congress. That is, of course, if you agree.”
“Impressive! I’m amazed that you’ve found time to think about that, what with all the rest of the hubbub. You’ve been burning the midnight oil, haven’t you? Bravo, my dear, bravo.” He patted her awkwardly on the shoulder, as if he’d decided a hug was too much and a handshake too impersonal. “Can you forward the documents to me so I can look at them more closely?”
She agreed to load them on a jump drive and give them to him, then he asked more about Sophie.
“She shares your love for music,” Natalie said, “and the combination of mahout training along with the protected contact techniques has made her more confident. Having Ali around seems to help, which kind of surprised me. I thought she’d get along better with the females.”
“I’m not surprised,” Andrew said. “Sometimes it all depends on how they were raised. Since Ali was a loner, and so was Sophie, and Siriporn has dealt with both of them, they might be more comfortable being together in this type of situation, even though it would be totally different if they were in the wild. Both of them—Ali and Sophie—are probably picking up on your comfort level. Ali’s laid back. Sophie needs that calmness, and she feels that with you. Siriporn’s got a natural way with the ellies, too. He’s a lover not a fighter.”
They laughed. “I see it at the sanctuary in Kenya all the time,” Andrew continued. “Ellies build relationships, both with other members of the herd as well as with humans.”
She filled him in on the antibiotics she’d given Sophie for her leg infection.
Andrew slapped his leg. “I’m excited. The possibilities . . . we can incorporate the same type of treatment with some of the other elephants—both in Africa and here in Thailand.” He gazed off into the distance, as if considering the next step.
Not once did he mention the costs of such treatment or training, the way Hatcher had, perhaps because he realized that what she had been able to accomplish in a short amount of time was only the tip of the iceberg.
“Write up a draft of a paper, Natalie,” he said as he rose and stretched his arms above his head. “What you’ve learned, love, could help many others. Now, time for lunch, my dear.” He shook his legs out and made his way down the stairs.
“There’s one more thing,” she said, still sitting. “Can you give me a couple more minutes?”
His eyes narrowed a bit as if he suspected he’d have to spend more money, but he sat back down. “Of course. What’s up?”
“It’s Dr. Hatcher,” she began. “I know he’s been here a lot longer than I, and I truly respect his expertise, especially when it comes to pachyderm veterinary treatment . . .”
“I hear a ‘but’ in there.”
She smiled a little and nodded. “I need your advice.”
He leaned forward, attentive, his large hands folded on his knees.
“When I first started working with Sophie, I think Dr. Hatcher questioned my intentions,” Natalie began, “and though I tried to reassure him, he didn’t seem . . . well, happy with my expertise. He asked several times whether I’d been delivering the medicines Sophie needed, he’s been concerned about the amount of the budget that’s been going into Sophie’s care, and I don’t think he agreed with the way I’ve concentrated on her rather than spreading myself out more thinly and working with the rest of the animals here. But the biggest issue . . . my greatest conc
ern . . . is that he tried to put Sophie down without consulting me.” She paused a moment and checked Andrew’s face. He lifted a finger to her as if encouraging her to continue.
“Forgive me if I’m wrong,” Natalie’s voice quivered, “but I thought sanctuary policy states that euthanasia takes the agreement of two vets.”
Andrew held up his hand. “Stop right there. That’s true, but as I understand it, he saw the error of his ways, correct?”
She nodded.
“Sophie’s alive, she’s healing, and we now know how protected contact works. Sounds like a win-win to me.” He rose, using his imperious height. The thinness of his smile showed that his pleasure in the conversation had quickly faded. If there was anything Andrew hated, it was personal drama.
She rose, too, several steps above him, yet still not equal to his height. She’d made a mistake, she knew now, and she was sorry she’d brought up the personal issues she’d had with Peter Hatcher. Her throat constricted and the space behind her eyes burned with unshed angry tears. She swallowed hard. “I’m sorry to bring you into it. I just thought you should know about his dealings with me and some of the other people here.”
“Don’t worry. I know.” Andrew closed his mouth and glanced away, focusing his attentions on something in a distant tree. “Let’s leave it here. Concentrate on what you’ve discovered during the time you’ve spent with Sophie and continue to document what works with her and what doesn’t. Let’s work together to bring the world’s attention to our elephants rather than expending your energies on a bloke who has his own work to do.”
His statement made, he turned and started walking up the road toward the main building and his office.
The Mourning Parade Page 20
