Arnie still hadn't figured out his relationship to Linda's staff. Sometimes he got the impression they were being hostile but they were also protective of her. Her group had stuck together through a lot of uncertainty, so it wasn't a surprise they weren't chummy with him. Everyone knew what was at stake here. The center needed to come up with something big soon or the board would shut them down.
Linda returned with Margie's friend, Paul Douglas. He was tan and fit with a pleasant face and the calm demeanor of a man who had spent an extended vacation in a sunny climate. Linda introduced him around.
"He's the former facilities manager for the city. He was the one who suggested the Chief building for us." The building was named the Chief after one of the city founders.
"Been looking forward to talking with you," Arnie said, getting up to shake his hand.
"I grew up around Tahlequah," Paul said. "Lots of friends in the Cherokee Nation. I know a little bit about Native Americans, which was why I wanted to help out your organization. The city wasn't utilizing that building productively and there was talk of handing it off."
Arnie waited for him to sit down. "You understand the delays?"
"I need an update," Paul said.
"The city gave us a checklist," Linda said. "We did all the inspections and walk-throughs. We had all the financing in place except one piece and that's when the deal fell apart."
"But they told you there was no problem," Paul said.
"Correct," Linda said. "But when we had our final piece in place, they told us there was a delay on their end. At first I assumed, we have delays, they have delays. I understand how governments work. You need to get a group of people on the same page. But then they delayed us again and then communication vanished. Then some of our staff went to the Chief Building and were told there was no deal."
Paul rubbed his chin. "Get a name?"
"Cranky old guy,” Rayanne said. “Taller than you. He wore a suit."
"That narrows it down," Paul said with a smile. "I asked around when I first heard you were having a problem. No one could give me a specific answer, only vague theories. Said someone wanted to shoot it down."
Already Arnie didn't like where the conversation was headed. If no wanted to talk about it, the problem was bigger than he thought.
"It was suggested that this project would only benefit one group," Paul said.
"One group?" Arnie said. "You mean, Indians."
"I'm trying to read between the lines," Paul said, his face apologetic. "They weren't against Native Americans specifically."
Arnie fumed. Linda met his eye. Don't make it personal. As long as they'd known each other, whenever he got worked up she talked him down. But there was no question this was personal. He knew Linda was suppressing her own rage but she wouldn't show that face to Margie's friend.
Linda cleared her throat. "This is all rumor. You don't know who is behind it. What do you suggest? Can you connect us with a person who can be straight with us so we can work through what went wrong or is this completely hopeless?"
By all rational measures, it had been hopeless for months. They needed a new plan. Linda should have had a backup plan all along. He began a mental list for where to go from here. Linda was persistent for good reason, since the building was a perfect fit for the center. They could have classes, events, child care, elder meals. There was plenty of room for the organization to grow with Linda's plans. They'd worked so long on this deal, no one wanted to let it go.
Paul took his time considering what he'd heard. "I don't think it's hopeless at all. Yeah, it's a government but it would be unusual for them to cut you off with no formal communication. I will track down someone who can give a straight answer. Sorry this has caused you such struggles."
Arnie couldn't join the optimism. They needed more than another promise. The longer they waited, the more opportunities they would miss.
The other board members had questions for Paul before they wrapped up the meeting. Paul proposed to get them a meeting and they would make their next move from there.
"How's Margie doing these days?" Paul asked. "I was sorry to hear she retired. She always told me she would stick around until they had to carry her out."
"That's not far from what happened," Linda said. "Pneumonia. Gave us a scare, but she's hanging in there. She's still in her house with in-home care. And she tells me what to do whenever she can."
"Glad to hear it."
Once Paul had gone, they wrapped up the meeting. Arnie caught up with some of the board members while Linda's staff shoved chairs and desks around to get their work stations set up again.
Arnie had a few last things to go over with Linda before he went to his sister's for dinner. He heard Rayanne ask, "When is your date?"
He turned to see who she was talking to. Ester was at her computer, typing as if chased by wild dogs. Tommy squatted on the floor, going through a box of books.
Rayanne sat at her desk with Linda at her side.
"After work," Linda said.
Without thinking, he said, "You have a date?"
"Don't sound so surprised," Linda said, laughing the question off. "I know, what am I doing trying to date, on top of everything else? Audra wanted me to meet someone. I said I would. I get tired of being alone sometimes. You know the feeling?"
Arnie didn't know what to say.
Linda laughed. "I'm kidding. Of course you don't know the feeling. The original Indian player."
"I don't know what you've heard," Arnie said, adjusting his tie. He went along with the joke, even if it weren't true. When he was younger, sure, but these days it was all work.
"It's barely a date," Linda said. "It's coffee."
"You like coffee," Arnie said, surprised at the uncomfortable twinge of something that felt suspiciously like jealousy. So Linda had a coffee date. That had nothing to do with him.
"You have something for me?" Linda asked.
"We can do it later. I'll send you an email."
"I've got time now," Linda said.
Arnie hesitated. "No, I got a few errands to do and then dinner at my sister's."
"Henry and I will be there too," Rayanne said.
"See you there," Arnie said, eager to get away.
9
Ester met Theo at the arts building. Today he wore jeans, a black hoodie and giant puffy bags under his eyes. He moved like a man who'd slept on a bag of rocks.
"Tough night?" she asked him.
"All nighter for a paper," Theo said.
"For Professor Stone?"
"Other class," Theo said.
"How do you think you did?"
"Good enough," he said.
Ester had been up late, too, researching Professor Stone. Several of her films were available online plus several syllabi and a talk she had done at a film festival. Ester fell in love with her work. She wanted to know how Professor Stone approached her interviews and figured out what images to use. Ester watched one film three times. She didn't know what to anticipate from this meeting but she imagined the instructor taking an interest in her and wanting to see her succeed. If she was lucky, she could sit in on a class or get advice. Rayanne's advice about three things echoed in the back of her mind.
"This is it," Theo said, opening the door for her. She caught a zing of his body heat as she moved past him, and her thoughts jumbled again.
"Professor Stone?" he called. "It's Theo Dunne."
"I'm here," she said. Theo urged Ester down a hallway until they reached a tiny office crammed with paper and books. The disorganized jumble was the same disaster Linda's desk would be if Rayanne didn't keep after her.
"You told us to stop by," Theo said. "This is Ester."
Ester expected a soft, friendly teacher. This woman did not give out a welcoming vibe. Professor Stone didn't smile when she looked up. "Nice to meet you, Ester." She dropped a handful of memory sticks into a small paper bag with a handle. The bag came from one of those upscale makeup stores. Ester had visi
ted the one downtown to get makeup advice but couldn't afford to buy any of the fancy cosmetics they were selling.
"Nice to meet you." It came out in a whisper. Everything else she wanted to say vanished from her mind.
"This is insane. I find them everywhere," Professor Stone said. She shook the bag for emphasis. "I'm glad you're here. I need muscle."
Ester bent her arm and patted her bicep.
"I meant him, but even better, I have two helpers," Professor Stone said, less frosty now. Maybe she wasn't so scary.
The professor handed her a heavy messenger bag and a potted plant. She pointed to a shiny hard case and said to Theo, "Can you carry that?"
Theo lifted it and swung it back and forth. "I can carry another if you've got it."
Professor Stone used her foot to slide another case toward him. "Great. This equipment goes to the car."
Theo picked up the other case and winked at Ester, making her warm all over.
"Follow me," Professor Stone said. She picked up a box, and they headed out. They went back the way they came and into the winter air, the point of this meeting lost in this new task.
"At least it's not raining. On the news they said there's a big storm coming next week." Professor Stone pointed to the path to the campus adjacent parking. "Ester, are you part of the Native student group?"
"I'm not a student at the moment," Ester said.
"What's your background? Where's your family?"
"I was born on the east side and grew up here. My mom is a social worker. My dad works in HVAC."
"Which reservation?"
Ester flashed Theo a questioning look. She didn't understand the sheepish shrug he gave her.
"I'm not sure what you mean. My family lives here. My birth mother is Eastern Shoshone but I don't have a connection to the rez."
Professor Stone stopped next to a beat-up SUV parked in a faculty spot. She opened the back and checked her phone while they loaded the equipment. The back already had another box and something wrapped up in a padded blanket. Theo leaned forward to shift something aside and his top rode up and exposed a narrow band of brown skin above his waistband that she stared at as long as the view was available. Ester glanced at Professor Stone, but she remained glued to her phone. Theo took the messenger bag from her and stuck the plant where it would be secure.
"Why are you taking the plant?" Ester said.
Professor Stone put the phone away. "It's going home, I'm tidying up my office." The professor's office needed more than that to be considered tidy.
Professor Stone shut the SUV's back door. She crossed her arms and leaned against the truck, the humorless expression back on her face.
Ester took this as her opening. "We'd love to have you over to the center. There's not much to see now but if you knew about our history and purpose, I think you'd find there's a story there."
Professor Stone looked bewildered. "What center are you talking about?"
"The Crooked Rock Urban Indian Center," Ester said. "I thought you were making a documentary about Ind'ns."
"I've never heard of it. What does the urban Indian center do for the campus?" Professor Stone asked.
"Nothing. This is a temporary location. The center provides services to urban Ind'ns, like healthcare referrals, after-school programs for kids, cultural activities. One of our upcoming events is an elder lunch in the longhouse."
"Because they can't afford to feed themselves?" Professor Stone asked.
"Because it's part of our culture to take care of our elders," Ester said, not able to prevent a tart tone from creeping into her voice.
"Interesting. Let's head back up," Professor Stone said.
When they reached her office, Ester said, "My idea is a film that will tell our story. We have so many plans like an elder hot-meal program and outreach in the community. That's a major goal. We want Indians in town who might feel disconnected from home...we want them to have a place where they can be around other Ind'ns. Some of us need that."
"I'm not sure what's going on here," Professor Stone said, giving Theo an irritated glance. "My film is almost done. What I need is an interview. I want a Native American family with multi-generations living under one roof. Preferably a family living on a reservation."
Ester's mind raced through the Natives she knew for anyone who might fit this description. "What kind of film?"
"It focuses on the way different generations intersect and are viewed in terms of culture and socio-economic factors."
"Oh," Ester said, not sure she understood. "My family isn't connected to the rez and we don't have multi-generations living under one roof."
"How about at your center? Do you know anyone on the reservation?"
"I could ask Arnie. He's from Warm Springs," Ester said.
"Who's Arnie?"
"He's on the executive board. He lives on Warm Springs rez. They've got a huge family out there."
"He's Warm Springs tribe?"
"Wasco. I'll ask him for you." Ester wasn't sure how excited Arnie would be to have a filmmaker come out and interview his family.
"Terrific," Professor Stone said, her mood brighter. "How soon can you get in touch with him? Can I contact him directly?"
If Arnie agreed to the film, perhaps Ester could work with Professor Stone. But how to get Arnie to agree?
"Let Ester talk to him," Theo said. "Not everyone wants to be in a film. It's a cultural thing."
Ester laughed inside. At the center they used that expression when they had trouble explaining something to a non-Indian. It's a cultural thing.
"Of course," Professor Stone agreed. "Tell him I would love to talk to him and tell him more about the project. It would be short interviews with various family members. We can do it in one afternoon. It would really round out the diversity for my project."
"I'll tell him," Ester said, too shy now to talk about her personal filmmaking goals. She'd arrived thinking she was doing something for the center, but the momentum had shifted. There was still a chance she could get something out of it personally.
"So we're good?" Theo said to his instructor.
Professor Stone looked amused. "If we get something set up, you should plan to come out and help with the interviews. I'm a filmmaker but you have a cultural advantage."
"An afternoon at Warm Springs?" Theo repeated. A flash of emotion she couldn't identify crossed his face. "I've told you about my jobs."
"It's one day. You'll learn a lot," Professor Stone said.
"Can't wait," Theo said, sounding less than thrilled.
If Ester wanted to get involved, now was the time to ask. But she still had to talk to Arnie.
"Glad to meet you," she said.
Professor Stone handed Ester a card. "Here's my email. Contact me as soon as you can. I'm looking forward to it."
Theo had started out with the mission of meeting Ester and connecting her to Professor Stone to win points for class. What began as a mild attraction was growing into something more. He'd enrolled in school with the single-minded mission of completing a two-year degree like he promised his mom and his grandma. He'd never had time for relationships so it never came up.
Now, every time he saw Ester, he wanted more, a more that he didn't have to give. This thing was bound to end in disappointment. Thrilling now and eventually breaking down and then disappointment. He couldn't bear to do that to her.
Theo put a hand on her elbow and guided her out of Professor Stone's office, calculating how much money he would lose by taking a day to go to Warm Springs for the extra credit he needed. One more stress on top of everything else.
"Can you convince Arnie to do it?" he asked.
Ester yanked her arm back and slipped ahead of him. She picked up her step so he had to hurry to keep after her. They exited the building, Ester keeping a brisk pace.
"Hang on a minute," he called to her.
Ester stopped and waited for him, irritation flashing in her eyes. She'd cooled during the visit with Pr
ofessor Stone and was getting cooler now. "Was there something else you needed from me?"
Screw cold turkey. He needed more time with her, especially if she was unhappy about the meeting they'd just had.
"She's like that," he said. "I should have warned you."
Her face twisted into an irresistible look of confusion. Whatever was going on for her, she wasn't pleased with him, but all he could think about was kissing her.
"I thought she needed a subject, like an urban Indian center," Ester said. "I'm such an idiot."
"Not you. Me. I should have explained it better. This is her personal project she's finishing."
"I wish I'd understood that before," Ester said.
Theo needed to do homework, get out and make money, or take a nap. And there was a preference to those activities but only one where he might convince Ester to join him. Theo tried to smile. "I'm going to the computer lab to work on my short interview project. Come with me?"
"So you do need my help." The normal spark of humor in her eyes had disappeared.
Whatever feeble connection he thought he'd forged, he'd screwed it up. He could use the help but wanted her company. He didn't know how to respond.
"Why do you want me to talk Arnie into it?" she asked.
He wanted to put his hand on her again and take her someplace. A nice coffee shop with snacks so they could talk properly instead of standing between buildings with a steady stream of students coming and going around them. "Can we talk about this somewhere else?"
Ester shook her head.
He faltered for words. "I'm not sure what you're thinking. There isn't a dark plan behind this. I'm on academic probation. I didn't get enough credits last quarter. Professor Stone agreed to help me out but I'm falling behind this quarter, too."
"Aren't there student services or something to help you study or figure out your course load or whatever is going on?"
"My problem isn't studying," Theo said, the words coming out more hotly than he intended. "The problem is I'm juggling too many jobs. The solution is to work less."
"But you need the money," Ester said, her expression changing.
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