"But why would that change the judge's mind?" Ed asked.
"It didn't. It just softened him up. After he saw Pansy opening gates, tracking bears, bringing you her brush, and all of the other stuff she did, then I told him about Pansy charging the bear. I said, ‘Judge, from my brief life experience, I think the most honorable and courageous thing a person can do is to be open to the exceptions we encounter,’ and then I tried an appeal to his sense of patriotism."
"What do you mean?" Ed and Mandy said together.
"I handed him a little box with my medals from Afghanistan, and I said to him, ‘Judge, I would like to trade these for an exception to laws that, if they are followed to the letter, will ruin my life. Can I do that?’"
"What did he do?" Ed was getting intrigued.
"He just sat there for a few minutes and didn't say anything. Then he got up and went to a shelf, found a business card, and told me to call Emmitt and to say he’d told me to call him. When I asked about Ben Atwood, the judge said not to worry about him."
"So, what about Atwood?"
"I watched him go into Hopgood’s office right after I left, and he was out so fast, the judge must have chased him out."
"Have you talked to Emmitt?" Ed asked.
"Yes, he drove in from Anchorage, and we met him in the judge's office yesterday afternoon. He said he was overdue visiting family in Delta anyway. He told me not to worry. It will take some time and a little expense, but it's all good. Nadia was brought here as a minor and is married now, so that helps. He said, a few years ago, this wouldn't have worked, but now it's not that big of a deal. There’s no chance she will be sent back to Ukraine to wait things out, which would have been sure to happen back then. As for Nadia's uncle, if he is found out, Emmitt says he can stall his deportation for longer than the old gentleman is likely to live."
"Did the judge keep your medals?" Mandy asked.
"No, he gave them back. Said I would have more use for them than he would and that I earned them and he didn't. I said, ‘Well, Judge, if I could give a bronze star to a cow named Pansy, I would.’ He just shook his head, and I left.”
Ed gave a thumbs up, and Randy took a deep breath. “I’ve decided I'm going to go to college, and unless I change my mind along the way, I plan to become a psychologist. I'm going to specialize in PTSD. Look, I know I'm not cured of my own combat stress. I'm going to get some counseling. But now I have the advantage of knowing what I should have known before I went to Afghanistan. I’m hoping I can help new recruits before they develop combat stress that they can't deal with."
Mandy and Ed both looked relieved, but before they could speak, Randy added, "Oh, and on the side, Nadia and I are going to raise bison. Her uncle is going to finish the fencing for us, if he’s able, and we will invite you two to the second wedding, which will happen when Nadia is a citizen."
Mandy shook her head. "You’re always going to be in the slaughter business, then."
"Well, I suppose that's true. I've given a lot of thought to what you've told us about sentient creatures, and if I ever run across a buffalo that's as smart as Pansy was, you can bet it’ll never wind up as burger meat. Nadia and I did a Google search for intelligent cows and we were surprised by how many examples we found. It makes you wonder how many really smart ones slip by without anyone noticing. I agree that animals raised for food should be treated humanely, but I think it's important to keep in mind that if we didn’t raise them for food, the vast majority of these animals would never have a chance to exist. Isn't a short life better than none at all?"
"Not if you’re a veal calf," Mandy said.
"Touché." Randy winked, straightened his cap, and left through the kitchen door, waving.
A moment later, he came running back, a little out of breath. "Mandy, do you think Pansy did what she did to save you and Nadia, or was it because she had a grudge against the bear for killing Daisy?"
Mandy smiled and shook her head slowly in disbelief. "That's something we will never know for sure, but I'm glad you took to heart what I said about cattle holding grudges." Randy mirrored her smile, tipped his cap, and was gone.
After they heard Randy drive off, Ed turned to Mandy. "Can you keep a secret?"
"Yes."
"It has to be forever, okay?"
"Okay."
"I'm serious, you must never tell anyone."
Mandy crossed her heart.
"What Randy said about things being not what they appear, is indeed one of life's greatest lessons,” said Ed. “It's hard to keep law enforcement matters quiet in Delta. I heard about Nadia's situation and couple of weeks ago, and then last week I heard about the judge being involved."
"So, what does that have to do with Randy talking to the judge?"
"Well, you can't really reason with most people like the judge. He's an ideologue through and through. He sees the world as existing in black and white with no gray. People of his ilk believe everything they do themselves is automatically justified by nature of who they are. They don't respond to reason unless it suits them. The only thing they really respond to is power and force."
"I don't understand. What kind of force?"
“One night, years ago, before I went to work on the North Slope, I stopped a car that was weaving on the highway. The driver happened to be Judge Hopgood. He was less than a quarter-mile from his house, but he was so drunk, he could barely walk. Unbeknownst to him, I got an emergency call just as I was about to cuff him. So I turned him loose. But we had just started using cameras to tape people suspected of being under the influence, and I told him I was going to keep my video of his condition forever. He thought I let him go as a favor because of his position, and I never told him any different.”
Ed leaned his chair back in self-congratulation. “So, shortly before Randy saw him, I paid him a visit and reminded him of our little secret. When he refused to back off from sending Nadia and her uncle to jail, I had to tell him I would give my video to the media."
"What did he say?"
"He said if I did that, it would look just as bad on me, but I said I didn't care. I told him my nephew's happiness was more important to me than anything that could happen as a result of the disclosure."
"What did he do then?"
"He didn't do or say anything. He didn't let on what he was going to do. We just let the matter drop.” Ed shrugged. “I didn't know until just now that he was going to relent."
"Don't you think Randy should know the truth?" Mandy asked.
"No, he’s full of idealism at a time when that is precisely what he needs. I don't want to do anything to dampen his enthusiasm for dealing with people like the judge. Some folks are open to experience and are able to see that the exceptions in life, like Pansy, are trying to tell us something, but most aren't. Still, I would rather give up a future in law enforcement than see Randy and Nadia unable to have a life together."
"The secret is safe with me, Dad."
Farewell
She would miss Alaska, but as soon as she could become a full-fledged veterinarian, she would come back. This would always be her home. Someday she would open the Pansy Kellogg Animal Clinic in Delta Junction. She would put a big picture of Pansy on the front of the building. It would be fun living close to Randy and Nadia, and maybe someday, when her dad retired, he would come back here to stay, or at least visit often.
In just a few more days, they would start their long drive south. With a few possible exceptions, they should beat the snowfall between the Canadian border and Idaho. Everything was ready to go, so Mandy was surprised to see Ed drive up with a stock trailer in tow. "Want to make a last quick trip with me?" He motioned to the seat beside him.
"Where to?"
"I thought instead of leaving Nellie out here by herself, we would take her to the children's petting farm in Palmer near the fairgrounds. I know the family that runs the place, and they will board her for us."
"But I thought Randy was going to look after her.”
"Yeah, I know. But I read that it's stressful for cattle to be alone, and something might happen to her way out here. I just thought we should do something special for her. After all, she was Pansy's friend."
About the Author
Charles D. Hayes is a self-taught philosopher and one of America’s strongest advocates for lifelong learning. He spent his youth in Texas and served as a U.S. Marine and as a police officer before embarking on a career in the oil industry. Alaska has been his home for more than thirty years.
Hayes’ book Beyond the American Dream: Lifelong Learning and the Search for Meaning in a Postmodern World received recognition by the American Library Association’s CHOICE magazine as one of the most outstanding academic books of the year. His other titles include Existential Aspirations: Reflections of a Self-Taught Philosopher; September University: Summoning Passion for an Unfinished Life; The Rapture of Maturity: A Legacy of Lifelong Learning; Training Yourself: The 21st Century Credential; Proving You’re Qualified: Strategies for Competent People without College Degrees; and Self-University: The Price of Tuition is Desire. Your Degree is a Better Life. His first work of fiction is Portals in a Northern Sky. He has begun an Alaska Short Fiction series with Moose Hunter Homicide as the first entry.
Promoting the idea that education should be thought of not as something you get but as something you take, Hayes’ work has been featured in the L.A. Progressive, USA Today, and the UTNE Reader, on National Public Radio’s Talk of the Nation and on Alaska Public Radio’s Talk of Alaska. His web site, www.autodidactic.com, provides resources for self-directed learners—from advice about credentials to philosophy about the value lifelong learning brings to everyday living. In 2006, Hayes established www.septemberuniversity.org, a site devoted to ongoing dialogue among September University participants in search of the better argument.
Amazon Kindle versions are available for all of the books listed above.
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