Eric stood in front of Ramón and looked directly in the young boy’s eyes. “He dropped this in my hands and told me that I would know to whom it belonged.”
He drew a long white eagle feather from the inside of his jacket and handed it to Ramón. “This is yours. The Great Spirit is watching over you. Go in peace, my brother.”
Ramón sat motionless in his chair. He reached for the majestic eagle feather as it was placed into his hands by the storyteller. He needed no further explanation. His heart told him the truth of the story.
Ramón held the feather to his beating heart and felt his father’s presence. He had never left him. The dreams had always been real.
Chapter 37
Sparks flew from the fire toward the night sky. The glow of contentment was on every face sitting around the flames. It had been a blessed day. After the story, Eric went back to his seat and lifted the drum that he had carried down from the cliff that morning onto his lap. He started to slowly tap on the stretched skin, closing his eyes to feel the rhythm of the moment.
Greg leaned over to the two boys and said in a hushed tone, “Eric has traveled on the Amazon. That’s where he got that drum.”
Seeing that the boys were fascinated by the origins of the music, he continued. “He went there with Brain and two former students on a research trip. I wish I had been there.” The young man sighed and started to nod his head as the beats of the drum grew more distinct.
Dr. Shaw looked out into the night sky and remembered other nights that had felt like this one. He remembered nights after a day of discovery when the team of men felt cohesive and that along with the amazing new discoveries it had felt that anything in life was possible.
Eric continued to beat the drum and he began a low chant in the Hopi language. He had been the spiritual center of all the expeditions. His spirituality was invaluable to the group just as the genius of Brain, the independent spirit of Scott, and the hard work of Randy. Each one was important to the success of the project.
The drumbeats became steady. The others sitting in their chairs began to stare into the fire, losing their thoughts in the pulse of the drum. Brain, who had been sitting without his computer for the first time that day, went to his tent and returned with a set of round, wooden containers that made a rattling noise when shook. He sat next to Eric and shook the round objects in syncopation with the drumbeats. The music continued. Eric stood up and began to slowly shuffle his feet. Brain soon followed and within minutes all the others had joined. Eric continued to sing the traditional Hopi chant while they shuffled in a slow, steady dance in a circle, one after the other. With each slow step, they celebrated the day and they thanked the earth for giving them life.
Miguel and Ramón joined in the dance and kept the steady pace with the others, feeling like they had joined a special club. They would never forget these nights in the desert where everything seemed possible.
Chapter 38
The road continued to Santa Fe. Natalie’s small engine hummed along the interstate highway with the two boys safely on board. Although Miguel and Ramón had been on their journey for several days, they still had a long way to go. Before they left the campsite, Dr. Shaw had refueled the Vespa and given them bottled water and snacks for the road.
“You boys be careful. You should get to Albuquerque in a few hours if you drive steady,” Dr. Shaw advised.
“Thanks, Greg, I can hardly wait to tell everybody what we saw!” said Miguel.
“You boys just stay on track and maybe some day, we’ll see you out here again,” Greg said with a smile.
The young men waived goodbye and Natalie sped away toward the interstate.
Miguel had decided to drive that morning and Ramón was behind him, absorbing the passing landscape. The midmorning sun was bright and warm, illuminating a desert that was alive and endless.
“How much further do you think we have to go?” asked Miguel, turning his head slightly to speak to his cousin.
“The last sign said a hundred miles, I think,” Ramón answered.
They had passed a road sign on the side of the highway but Ramón couldn’t remember how long ago it had been or how many miles they had driven since seeing the sign. Both boys had adjusted to the idea of driving on the endless highway for as long as it took to get to Santa Fe. They knew that they would get there eventually.
Chapter 39
Rodrigo sat at the kitchen table staring out of the window. The road that led up to his sister’s house was visible from where he was sitting and since early that morning he hadn’t been able to move.
They had reached Santa Fe the day before. And as soon as they arrived at his sister’s house, Rodrigo called his mother to check on the boys but no one had answered. After several frantic calls to the police and finally to the town’s hospital, he discovered what had happened to his mother. Now the boys were missing.
“I can’t eat anything right now!” he shouted, shoving the plate of food away from him. A large cup of coffee was in his hand and he drank from the cup anxiously.
“You haven’t eaten anything since we got here. If you eat, maybe your headache will go away,” pleaded Connie. She was worried, too. While her husband had been on the phone all night trying to locate the boys, she had been crying and praying, hoping that they would see them again.
“I should have never left them behind. They didn’t even have a phone to call us!” he said, admonishing himself. “What was I thinking?”
“We didn’t know Rosa would get sick. How could we know?” responded Connie, stirring the pot of menudo on the stove.
“At least I know my mom will be okay,” sighed Rodrigo. He took a drink of the coffee and picked up his cell phone. “Yes, I need the person in charge of missing children. I spoke to an Officer Martínez a few hours ago and I want an update,” Rodrigo said in a commanding voice.
“Sir, Mr. Martínez is on a call right now. We can transfer you to the officer who coordinates that department,” the voice replied.
“I need answers! My boys are missing. They could be in trouble somewhere!” shouted Rodrigo.
“The officer on duty can help you. Let me transfer the call.”
Rodrigo spoke to the officer who did not give him any news. Overnight the police had checked his mother’s house and the surrounding area, looking for Miguel and Ramón. No one remembered seeing them. After the preliminary investigation, the police had suggested that Rodrigo wait in Santa Fe to hear from the boys, who eventually would call.
When Rodrigo heard this suggestion from the police, he went into a rage. He yelled into the phone and told them they were incompetent for not being able to locate two young boys in a small town. He had spent the rest of the night pacing around the house between phone calls to police stations to all the towns between his mother’s house and Santa Fe.
Rodrigo’s sister and her family had been sleeping in the back bedrooms. Everyone had been up during the night to check on the progress of the police and to comfort Rodrigo who was taking it the hardest. Connie suggested to her husband that he lower his voice so that he wouldn’t awaken the rest of the family.
Suddenly the loud ringing of the phone pierced through the kitchen.
“Hello, hello?” Rodrigo answered anxiously.
“Mijo, it’s me,” said the soft voice.
“Mamá, are you okay?”
“Sí, claro, the doctors are just being cautious, they tell me I’ll be home soon. Are you okay? Your voice sounds upset.”
“Ay, Mamá, I shouldn’t tell you this but … ”
Connie rushed to her husband’s side and motioned for him to not say anything further to upset his mother.
“She might know something, Connie, I have to … ” he said.
“What happened, mijo? Are the boys okay?”
“Mamá, when you went into the hospital, do you remember anything? Did you see the boys?”
“What’s happening?” Abuela Rosa insisted.
“Nobody knows wh
ere they are. They’ve been missing for days!” Rodrigo confessed.
“Mijo, calm down,” reassured Abuela Rosa. “They are in God’s hands.”
“Mamá, I’m so worried, what if something bad happened?” he muttered.
“While I was asleep, I had a vision that Miguel and Ramón were on a long trip.”
“You mean like they were dead?”
“No, mijo, on a journey to find themselves.” Abuela Rosa’s voice was calm and thoughtful. “Your father has been speaking to me in my dreams and he told me that he was watching over them.”
“Mamá, I want to believe that everything is going to be okay, but anything can happen to young boys alone in the world!”
“I know, mijo. You must have faith that they will find their way. God will provide for their safety. Just hold on to that thought.”
Rodrigo heard his mother’s words but he hung up the phone not feeling the reassurance that was intended.
“Where could they be?” he mumbled, resting his aching head on his hands.
“God will look after them, no matter where they are. He will protect them,” Connie replied.
“That’s not helping,” Rodrigo roared. “It’s my fault that they’re lost, it’s all my fault!”
“Mi amor, how could you know what would happen?”
“You don’t understand, Connie. You don’t know everything.”
A sudden pang shot through Connie’s heart when she heard her husband’s words. She wiped her hands on a towel and asked, “What did you do?”
“Enrique wasn’t supposed to drive to the store the night he died. It’s my fault!” Rodrigo confessed as he clutched the coffee cup and his eyes began to fill with tears. “My dad had asked me to go. He needed something to fix the truck or else he couldn’t go to work the next day, but I refused, I told Enrique to go.”
“The accident wasn’t your fault. That other car was driving on the wrong side of the road,” Connie said, remembering the night of the terrible accident.
Both brothers had been visiting their parents over the weekend with their young families. Miguel and Ramón were both three years old. When the call came from the police informing them of the accident and of Enrique’s death, everyone had felt the devastating news. Ramón had been in the car with his father but luckily had not been injured in the accident.
“You don’t understand, Connie,” he said again.
“What don’t I understand?”
“My brother had been working two jobs.” His voice cracked but he fought back the tears. “He hadn’t slept for two days. I knew that he was too tired to drive.” Rodrigo’s voice broke and his emotions poured out the rest. “But I didn’t care that he was tired, all I cared about was myself!”
Connie sat at the kitchen table and with one long sigh, let all the breath in her body escape. Her husband had never spoken of the night of the accident and the sudden confession shocked her.
“So you see, if Enrique hadn’t been driving that night, he wouldn’t have died, and Ramón would still have a father!” Rodrigo took a breath and added, “None of this would have ever happened!
“I swear, Connie, if I’m given a second chance with those boys, I’m going to do things differently. I’ve been wrong to be so hard. When I think of what my last words were to them … ” His voice broke again and he took a deep breath to stop from crying. “I’ll be a better father. I owe the boys that, I owe my brother that.”
Rodrigo sat at the kitchen table in silence, looking out toward the road.
“Mi amor, I know in my heart everything will be fine. We should wait like the police told us. The boys will contact us if we wait long enough,” Connie said, trying to comfort her husband.
“Wait for what? Wait for the police to call to tell me they’re dead!” He shouted, recovering from his tears. “I’m going back to look for them. They have to be somewhere!”
Rodrigo stood from the table and paced around the kitchen nervously. “I’ll leave right now and you will stay here with Marisol, just in case the police call.”
Rodrigo packed quickly the things he would need for the trip back to his mother’s house. As he was gathering the last of his belongings, he heard his daughter screaming.
“They’re here! They’re here!” Marisol’s voice shrieked as she ran to the house.
Rodrigo ran to the kitchen window and saw a cloud of dust approaching from down the road. He ran outside to the front of the house and saw something he would have never imagined in his wildest dreams. Miguel and Ramón were driving up on his old blue vespa.
Chapter 40
“Dad! Dad!” Miguel yelled from the road.
Rodrigo stood speechless as the Vespa drove up the driveway. The long-forgotten vision of his boyhood motor scooter had shocked him into silence. Marisol came running after her father and ran to the boys first.
“Miguel! Ramón!” she screamed with delight. “We thought you were dead!”
The boys laughed a confident laugh and patted their little sister on the head playfully.
“You’re not that lucky, sis. Maybe next time,” Miguel joked.
Connie had heard the commotion outside and walked quickly from the house, still holding a spoon in her hand. At the unexpected sight of the boys, she felt a rush of maternal affection flood her body and the tears began to flow. She hugged both boys and told them how much they were loved.
Miguel and Ramón hugged her back. Miguel spoke first, “Is Abuelita okay? Did you call the hospital?”
“Oh, yes, she’s going to be fine!” Connie exclaimed. “We just spoke to her and she’s doing just fine.” Connie’s tears overtook her voice and she stood away from the boys to weep into her apron.
The two young men looked at Rodrigo standing before them. Rodrigo’s face contained the expressions of both relief and wonderment. Feelings of anger did not occur to him. He only felt joy at seeing his two boys alive. Trying to speak, he stopped himself. He knew that his words could not express what he felt in his heart at that moment. He took one step forward and lifted both arms toward Miguel and Ramón. The boys rushed into the long awaited paternal embrace and lingered in the acceptance and love that only a father can give.
Chapter 41
All the neighbors could hear the joyous celebration taking place inside the house. The planned family reunion had been transformed to include the homecoming of two beloved sons. After calling Abuelita Rosa to tell her the good news, Rodrigo joined the large family who squeezed themselves into the kitchen to be with the boys.
Connie and her sister-in-law fussed over the boys, feeding them endless amounts of home-cooked food. Both Miguel and Ramón ate voraciously and between bites they told of their adventure.
“Tell ’em about the desert pools we found and about the cliffs we climbed,” Miguel said proudly.
Shrieks of excitement sounded from the children and from an occasional adult when Ramón told of the adventures. Younger cousins huddled around their new heroes and begged for all the gruesome details of the desert mummy and the headless snake in the cave.
Rodrigo sat at the kitchen table and listened attentively at the recitation of the boys’ adventures on the road. The marvelous tales of the Grand Canyon, the red rocks of Sedona, and the archaeological expedition impressed him. He could see and hear from their stories that they were no longer irresponsible boys but young men on their journey to manhood. And as his impressions of them changed, he realized that his behavior as a father needed to change as well.
Rodrigo had always taken the responsibility of raising the boys seriously and had wanted to be a good father, but he now knew that his ideas of strict discipline without understanding had led to the boys almost being lost. Thinking of the tragic consequences that might have occurred, he felt grateful that he had been given a second chance to be a better father.
After the noisy and story-filled family dinner, Rodrigo asked Miguel and Ramón to join him outside to build a fire in the backyard. Rodrigo placed large logs i
n the outdoor furnace and watched patiently as the boys did the same. Rodrigo lit the furnace and stood back from the growing fire, thinking deeply about the last few days and all the emotions that he had felt.
“I want you both to know something.” Rodrigo started slowly, not wanting to reveal the depth of emotion that was building up inside of him.
“You two young men are everything to me. When I thought something could have happened to you … ” He stopped and cleared his throat, not wanting to let the tears fall.
“We were okay, Dad. Grandpa showed us how to camp in the desert and we had some money just in case things got rough,” Miguel reassured.
Rodrigo put his right arm around Miguel then motioned for his nephew to be embraced by his left.
“I’m going to promise you that things will be different. I’m going to be a better father,” he managed to say before his voice gave out.
“Maybe we can go on a trip sometime?” asked Miguel, unsure of his father’s response.
Ramón quickly added, before his uncle could answer, “Yeah, the guys we met at the Grand Canyon invited us back next summer!”
Rodrigo smiled through his tear-filled eyes and promised that he would take them on another trip through the desert. He knew that he needed to be reminded of the adventure of manhood.
The flames began to burn high into the evening sky. The stars came into view and a pale moon was visible through a thin veil of clouds. Rodrigo looked up into the heavens and for the first time in his life felt the immensity of the universe and the challenges facing him as a father to two young men.
“There is so much to see and to learn,” Rodrigo said to himself. “I’m just beginning.”
High above in the branches of an old pine tree watched a noble eagle. His keen eyes saw everything below. He stretched out his strong, feathered wings, then took flight over the rough terrain, soaring through the canyons and into the imaginations of young men. With a graceful swoop, the Great Spirit landed atop the tallest rock, amid the beauty and magic of the desert.
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