by Amy Harmon
The seventh grade was part of the junior high, and I was relieved to be leaving elementary school behind, hoping it would be easier to blend in with the older kids. But junior high was just a different kind of torture. The junior high was made up of grades 7-9, the high school consisted of grades 10-12, and we all rode the same bus into Nephi for school. I hated riding the bus. Johnny was a senior the year I started seventh grade. He drove Old Brown, our ancient farm truck, into school most days because he played several sports and practices were after school. Sometimes he gave me a ride, but more often than not, he took his friends, leaving no room for his little sister. The bus was loud and slow with kids crawling all over the place. I hated the elbows in my sides, the fighting, and worst of all, finding a seat.
The bus stop by my house was one of the very last, and every day I would dread walking down the aisle of the full bus, looking for a place to sit down. I drew unwanted attention from the high school boys, snickers from the younger boys, and confusing animosity from most of the girls. Tara, loyal cousin and friend, usually tried to save me a seat, but I almost preferred not to sit by her. At thirteen she was about as big as a nine-year-old, and our size difference made my discomfort all the more severe. Not only was she little, she was loud, and where I would prefer to shrink into the background, she would call attention to herself every chance she got.
There was an 11th grade boy named Joby Jenkins who sometimes hung around with my brother Johnny. He liked being the class clown and thought he was the funniest kid on God’s green earth. I didn’t like him very much. His humor was usually mean-spirited and always at the expense of someone weaker. The younger kids on the bus were his targets. My dad said he was a smart ass, but mostly he was just an obnoxious bully. Above all, I couldn’t stand him because he stared at my chest whenever he saw me. Johnny seemed oblivious to this, as usual, and he thought Joby was hilarious and fun to be with. Because Joby didn’t play sports he always rode the bus, holding court way in the back, making many kids’ lives miserable.
One particular morning in early fall, I climbed on the bus, nervous and desperate for a seat, as usual. Tara waved at me and pointed excitedly to the nametags stuck on each seat. Mr. Walker, the bus driver, had made seat assignments. I felt a rush of relief and started looking for my name. Assigned seating meant never having to find a place to sit, and I was ridiculously grateful as I searched for mine. I began to notice that most of the younger, smaller, kids had been seated with older kids, making the three to a seat rule a little more comfortable. As I neared the back of the bus, red heat crawled up my face as an all too familiar voice rang out.
“Josie Jensen! Come to papa!” Joby Jenkins called out in a sing-song voice. Everyone around him burst into laughter. “Hey, we can play Cowboys and Indians! Don’t worry, Jos. I won’t let Sammy here make you his squaw.”
I had found my assigned seat. My name was on the seat just across the aisle from Joby. Joby was sitting with his legs in the aisle so his knobby knees and big feet in unlaced Reeboks made it impossible for anyone to get by without confrontation. He patted the green plastic across from him. Sitting inside the seat beside him was Samuel Yates.
Samuel Yates was the grandson of Don and Nettie Yates who lived just down the road from me. Don and Nettie’s son, Michael, had served a Mormon mission on a Navajo Indian reservation twenty plus years ago. After his mission, he ended up going back to Arizona for some job. He had married a Navajo girl and they had Samuel. A few years later, Michael Yates was killed when he was thrown from a horse. I don’t remember the details. It all happened when I was little, but in small towns everyone’s story becomes known eventually.
I had heard about Samuel when several women, including Nettie Yates, had gathered in our kitchen to do some canning. Every year since my mom died, my neighbors would bring fruit and vegetables from their own gardens and can all day, filling our shelves with their labors. That day in August, the kitchen was uncomfortably warm and smelled of stewed tomatoes. I listened to the women visit as I wished for freedom from the endless canning, although my gratitude would not allow me to leave. I found myself drawn into the conversation out of sheer boredom. Nettie Yates was venting her concerns to the other women:
“He’s gotten so his mother can’t handle him. She remarried, ya know. Seems Samuel doesn’t get along too well with his step dad and his step siblings. My opinion is there is some alcohol involved. The step dad drinks too much, I think. Samuel’s gotten in several fights this year, and he was kicked out of the school on the reservation. He’s an angry boy, and I’m a little worried about having him come live here.” Nettie Yates paused for breath and then continued. “I just hope people are good to him. It’s what Michael would have wanted. We’d have taken him when Michael died, but his mother wouldn’t hear of it. We told her to bring Samuel and come live with us, but she ended up going back to the reservation to live with her mother. Can’t say I blame her. It’s what she knew, and there is comfort in that, especially when you lose someone you love.
“We’ve barely seen the boy all these years. Don’s looking forward to having Samuel help with the sheep. Them Navajos know about sheep, ya know. Samuel’s helped his grandma tend sheep since he was six years old. Anyway, he’ll attend school here for his senior year and hopefully graduate. Then he’ll be old enough to decide what he wants to do.” Nettie finished the telling with a long sigh as she continued to slice ripe tomatoes into her bowl, never breaking rhythm.
Samuel looked up at me as I tried to slide past Joby into my seat. Samuel’s dark eyes and wide mouth were unsmiling, his eyebrows drawn together in an irritated slash against his warm brown skin. His shiny black hair skimmed his shoulders. I had never said two words to Samuel Yates. In fact, I’d never heard him speak at all. His face was filled with hostility, and his wide mouth turned down as he looked away. I inched past Joby, trying not to touch him as I sat down. Joby moved at the last minute, pulling me into his lap.
“Josie!” he said in mock surprise. “I didn’t really mean come to papa!” Everyone laughed again as he pretended to push me off, all the while making it impossible for me to get free of his long arms and big feet.
I felt tears spring to my eyes as he continued to tickle me and jostle me around. Someone in front of me must have noticed my mortified expression, because a voice called out, “Uh oh, Joby! She’s gonna cry!”
Joby whooped and looked down at me. “Don’t cry, Josie! I’m just messin’ with ya. Here, I’ll kiss it better.” Joby stuck out his lips comically and smacked a big kiss on my cheek.
“Stop it, Joby!” I sputtered and elbowed him as I fought my way out of his messy embrace. Suddenly, Joby pushed me onto Samuel. My head collided with the window, and my backpack slid down and pinned my arms behind me. I found myself face first in Samuel’s lap and yelped as he jerked me upright. The kids around us howled with laughter.
Suddenly, Samuel’s right arm lashed out and pushed Joby clean off the seat. Joby landed with a loud thump right in the aisle. Surprise whooshed out of his lungs in a startled grunt. Before I could register what was happening, Samuel maneuvered me across him and sat me down next to the window. He stood up slowly and leaned over Joby’s stunned person. The laughter faded to nervous twitters, and then there was silence. The kids around us stared, their mouths and eyes wide. My face throbbed with humiliation. I felt faint, and I realized I was holding my breath. Samuel stared down at Joby, his arms braced on the seats on either side of the aisle. Joby stared back at him. His mouth was working but no words were coming out, as if he hadn’t narrowed down what to say next.
“Don’t cry, Joby! I’m just messing with you.” Samuel’s voice was deep and soft, his face completely expressionless. The kids who had been laughing started laughing again.
The bus had just pulled up to the last stop when the confrontation in the back of the bus drew the driver’s attention. Samuel had pretty much ignored everyone since he started school two months ago. He hardly spoke, but he was tall enoug
h and intimidating enough that everyone steered pretty well clear of him. Everyone, including Joby, stared at him incredulously.
“No fighting on my bus, boys!” Mr. Walker, the bus driver, yelled back as he threw the bus into park, engaging the brake and disengaging his seatbelt in a huff. He rushed down the aisle towards Samuel. Without acknowledging Mr. Walker’s approach, Samuel slowly bent down, extended his hand, and pulled Joby to his feet. Then, like he had all the time in the world, he turned and looked down at poor Mr. Walker. He reached over and pulled Joby’s nametag off the seat where I was now sitting. I flinched and ducked my head as all eyes flew to me.
“Joby needs a new seat,” Samuel said softly. He pressed the curling white label against Joby’s forehead, all the while staring at the bus driver calmly. Mr. Walker looked confused, and Joby was, for once, at a loss for words.
“Can’t he sit there?” Mr. Walker questioned, pointing to the seat I was now occupying. I noticed how Mr. Walker’s voice had immediately softened to match the volume of Samuel’s quiet declaration.
“Somewhere else,” Samuel enunciated slowly, his voice still smooth. His eyes stayed on Mr. Walker’s face for a moment, and then he moved out of the aisle and sat down next to me, turning his attention out the window. He didn’t say anything else.
Mr. Walker quietly pulled my nametag from the seat across the aisle, put it on the seat where I was now sitting next to Samuel, and directed Joby to sit down in my place. Joby pulled the sticker from his forehead, the tables having been completely turned. He stuck his nametag in some kid’s hair and laughed uproariously. He then slapped another in the back of the head, trying to downplay what had just happened. If I hadn’t seen it myself I wouldn’t have believed Joby had been knocked down and not responded with a fist and a few foul words. The only thing he said was “Damn! I guess Sammy doesn’t like me!” The kids around him giggled nervously, and Joby shot a look at Samuel again. Samuel just stared over my head out the window and didn’t respond or even appear to be aware of him at all.
* * *
Winter came early, and by the end of October, Levanites had their kids bundled in moon boots, hats, and puffy coats that made movement awkward. I had turned thirteen September 1, and in anticipation of the upcoming cold season, my Aunt Louise bought me a new coat in a bright, periwinkle blue. It was the nicest thing I had ever owned. My dad told her we didn’t need her charity when she had brought it over. Aunt Louise was my mom’s younger sister, and she proceeded to rip him up one side and down the other. It had been a couple of years since I’d had a new coat. I had worn Johnny’s old jean jacket and layered flannel shirts all winter last year, and this year she wasn’t having any of it. Dad seemed stunned by her accusations, and looked at me like he was seeing me for the first time. I just patted his hand and said, “I liked Johnny’s jacket, Daddy. That’s why I wore it.” Lately, I had caught my dad watching me with a strange yearning on his face. I asked him about it once, asked him why he looked so sad. He’d smiled a little and shook his head.
“I’m not so sad, Josie Jo. I was just thinking about how fast you had to grow up. You weren’t a little girl for very long. Not nearly long enough.” He had patted my back and made a quick exit out the back door, retreating to the horse corral and safer pastures.
That particular Monday morning there was new ‘Sunday snow’ on the ground. Sunday snow was the snow that fell on Sunday, but hadn’t yet been played or walked in. It was a beautiful white blanket when I tromped through it in my old tennis shoes. Samuel Yates was already at the bus stop when I arrived, and he climbed on before me, walking straight back to our seat and sliding in against the window. He wore no hat over his glossy hair, and his quilted jacked was lined with that fuzzy sheep skin. He wore moccasins on his feet. I wondered if they were cold, but the moccasins seemed relatively dry, much dryer than my sneakers, so I didn’t worry about him too much.
Samuel hadn’t paid any attention to me at all—ignoring me and everyone else—since the day he had knocked Joby into the aisle. We hadn’t been assigned a third person to our seat. Mr. Walker was probably a little apprehensive; maybe he had decided to leave well enough alone. So for the last week I had ridden back and forth from school sitting beside Samuel, not saying one word. I was not a person uncomfortable with silence, so I usually just read the whole time. I had started reading all of Jane Austen’s books and was now working my way through Persuasion.
I was enmeshed in Anne’s longsuffering when Samuel spoke.
“You read a lot.” It sounded a bit like an accusation, his words clipped and soft.
“Yes.” I didn’t know what to say exactly, but to agree with him.
“Why?”
“I like books. Don’t you read?”
“Yes, I can read!” His soft voice was angry, and his eyes flashed. “You think because I’m Navajo that I’m stupid?”
I stammered in my defense, my cheeks flushing at his perception of my words. “That’s not what I meant! I don’t think that! I just meant don’t you like to read?”
When he didn’t answer and resumed looking out the window, I tried to read again. But my thoughts swam wildly in my head, and I stared blankly at the page. I felt despondent that I had wounded someone who had so recently come to my rescue. I tried again.
“I’m sorry Samuel,” I said awkwardly. “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”
He snorted and looked at me, raising one eyebrow. “I’m not a little girl. I don’t get my feelings hurt.” His voice was slightly mocking. He took the book from my hands and began to read from the page.
“I can listen no longer in silence. I must speak to you by such means as are within my reach. You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope. Tell me not that I am too late, that such precious feelings are gone forever.”
Samuel’s intent had been to prove his reading skill, but he stopped suddenly, embarrassed by the deeply romantic missive from Captain Wentworth to Anne.
We both sat unmoving, staring down at the book. I couldn’t help myself. I started to laugh.
Samuel scowled for a minute. Then his lips twitched and he seemed to exhale his discomfort.
“How old are you?” he questioned, his eyebrows slightly raised.
“Thirteen,” I replied defensively. I always felt defensive about my age. I didn’t feel thirteen, and I didn’t look thirteen, so I hated being thirteen.
Samuel’s eyes widened in surprise. “Thirteen?” It didn’t sound like a question, but more like a doubtful exclamation. “So you’re what, in seventh grade?” He said this in the same flat, yet incredulous, voice.
I pushed my glasses up on my nose and sighed. “That’s right.” I took my book out of his hands and prepared to tune him out.
“Isn’t that book a little...grown-up for a seventh grader?” he argued. He pulled the book out of my hands again and read on, this time silently. “I don’t even understand what most of these words mean. It’s like a different language!”
“That’s why I read with a dictionary...although I don’t bring it to school with me. It’s way too heavy.” I looked down at the book again, feeling shy. “In some ways it is a different language. My teacher, Mrs. Grimaldi, says our language is disintegrating.”
Samuel just looked at me, his expression incredulous.
“I’m sure it’s not as different as Navajo is from English, though,” I continued, trying to draw him into further conversation, surprised he was speaking to me at all, especially now that he knew I was just a lowly seventh grader.
“Yeah, Navajo is very different.” Something shuttered over his eyes, and he turned away from me, looking out the window again, ending our very brief exchange.
* * *
It was several more bus rides before Samuel spoke to me once more. I had been shut down on our last conversation, and was unwilling to try again.
“I hate to read.” His tone was argumentative, and he glared at me. As usual, I was tucked into my book, my knees drawn up to support it
s weight. I looked at him, wondering what he wanted me to say.
“Okay...?”
He drew a book out of his backpack and tossed it on top of the copy of Pride and Prejudice that was opened on my lap. The book was Wuthering Heights. I almost groaned in sympathy. I hadn’t tried to finish it after Sonja had relieved me from it the first time. I had no desire to spend any more time with it. With school work, piano lessons, and piano practice, along with all the chores that came from living with two men—Jared and Jacob were up and mostly out of the house by then—my reading mostly took place on the bus and at bedtime, when I faithfully looked up all my undefined words. I still read a couple books a month, but I didn’t plow through them as I had in the summer. Wuthering Heights was NOT on my list of Books-To-Read…and yes, I did have an actual list.
“I’ve read parts of this book,” I said cautiously, not understanding why he had tossed the book in my lap.
“I was sure you were going to say you had,” he said wryly. “It’s as confusing as that book you were reading the other day.”
“Why are you reading it then?” I asked, certain he must be, or he wouldn’t have it in his possession.
He didn’t answer for several seconds, and I waited, wondering if he would take the book and turn away again. “I am failing English. I have Ms. Whitmer, and she told me if I read that book and write a report on it, she’ll pass me. So, I am trying to read that book. I have to read it and have the report on her desk in two weeks. I could see by the page he had dog-eared that he was in trouble.
Ms. Whitmer was a tough old bird who had taught at the high school for 25 years. She had a bit of a reputation, sometimes drove a Harley to school, and commonly wore combat boots. She was very intimidating, knew her stuff, and wouldn’t take any crap. My older brothers had liked her, but had groaned about the workload. Johnny was barely squeezing by in her class as well.
