Arnie and Professor Stone were already standing at her car. When Professor Stone saw them, she opened the back door. Theo loaded in the bag in his arms before turning to take the one Ester carried.
"Ester, how do you think things went today?" Professor Stone asked.
"The protest was a bust but I can see how the footage could be useful for storytelling."
Ester wasn't sure if she made sense but Arnie nodded and said, "I had a similar reaction."
Professor Stone put her hand on Arnie’s forearm. "Good. Glad we're thinking alike."
Ester didn't think any of them were thinking alike.
"I appreciate your help," Professor Stone said. She mock-punched Theo in the arm. "This young man has a problem with punctuality. Always an excuse."
"Same excuse every time: work. Jobs in the gig economy don't happen on a strict time schedule."
"All right," Professor Stone said, but her assent sounded phony, like she was being good-natured for Arnie's benefit.
"Am I done?" Theo said to Professor Stone.
"You are. See you in class."
As they walked away, Professor Stone said to Arnie, "Are you free for dinner? I'd love to talk more about the project." She couldn't hear what Arnie replied but his tone was warm. She couldn't sort out her feelings about the two of them being so cozy. Flirting out on the rez had made sense. This seemed like something more.
"Was that weird?" Ester said, nodding her head back toward Arnie and Professor Stone.
"I'm not surprised," Theo said. "They're grownups."
"I guess," Ester said.
"Fran has a yarnbombing event on Saturday. I'm squeezing the film class project in-between money jobs. You want to come with me?"
"Yeah," Ester said, a thrill in her heart. "That sounds fun."
18
Theo picked up Ester and drove to the park where Fran's group was doing the yarn installation. A few wispy clouds drifted across the sky, but the sun shone through. After several days of rain showers, it was nice to dry out. The air was fresh and warm for early spring as they headed down the path.
Ester walked ahead with a funny, bouncing gait, like a kid nearing the entrance of an amusement park. She wore skinny jeans and an oversized sweatshirt. With her every step, it pulled up long enough to reveal the perfect curve of her butt. Her backpack swung off of one shoulder. She slowed until he caught up.
"Do you know where we're going?" She gazed up at him, her brown eyes searching his. She owned half his heart already.
"Fran said we'd know it when we saw it."
"This is a big park." She looked him over as if just noticing. "Shouldn't you have equipment?"
Theo held up his phone. "This is it. I signed up to use school equipment, but I missed my reserved time."
His school life had gone from tough to strained to unsustainable. The days blended together, rushing from job to job and cramming in homework while propping his eyeballs open. He made it to class, but it was tough to stay focused. If he made it through this quarter, it would be a miracle. "Half-assed like everything else," he told her. "Whatever I have to do to get through."
Ester looked at the sky and shook her head with mock-disappointment. "You need a tripod or a handheld thingy that keeps your shot steady. Fortunately, I have one of each."
"How do you know how to do all this stuff?"
Ester shrugged. "I figure it out."
"Have you told anyone about your project yet?"
Instead of answering, Ester uttered a gasp of delight and pointed. They approached a stand of tall trees. Each tree had a bright band of yellow, orange or pink yarn around the trunk.
Theo filmed Ester moving between the trees. She saw what he was doing and dropped her head before ducking out of the shot. She circled around from the side. "I only like behind the camera. When I see myself on a recording, I think my spirit animal must be clumsy flamingo."
"Maybe I like flamingos."
Ester made a dismissive noise and dug through her backpack. "You must stabilize. Trust me, you can see the difference." She pulled out a gadget that looked like nothing more than a sturdy handle.
"I got this used online. It's cheap and crappy but it works." She stood next to him and crossed her arms over his to show him how to clip in the camera. The shock of the casual touch brought an ache to his groin. Her head tilted forward, her mass of curly hair inches from his face. "That's it," she said, standing back. They stared at each other for a half-beat too long. She licked her lips and pointed at his camera. "I think it's secure, but keep an eye on it. Hold it like this."
He followed her instructions, holding the device in front of him while he walked. "Do I look like an idiot?"
"You can look cool when you're a bouncer," Ester said. "At the moment, you're a filmmaker." Theo couldn't help cracking up.
The trees led to a clearing with park benches and picnic tables. Every object was in some state of decoration, sometimes with strategically wrapped bits, others with elaborate wrappings. One of the park benches was decorated as a playful monster in shades of green with big white teeth. Ester pointed to bright yarn flowers attached to low tree branches. He walked through the installation, capturing it all.
"What were you planning on doing when your camera memory gets full?" Ester asked.
Theo hadn't spent one second considering the memory issues.
"You're lucky I'm here," Ester said. She sat on a bench and took out her laptop. He handed over the camera so she could pull the video off it.
"Tell me about it," Theo said, his eyes glued to her every move. She attached cables and tapped on the keyboard, then stared at the screen with her brows knit together.
"Hey, Theo." Fran waved and came over to join them. She gave Theo a hug.
"My friend Ester, who is saving my ass right now."
Ester smiled. "You can do the interview in a second."
"Your ass needs a lot of saving," Fran said. She grimaced. "Do I have to do this?"
"Yes," Theo said, indicating she should sit. "The knitting is pretty and everything, but it's not much of a film if we don't talk to the brains who made it happen."
"I didn't act alone," Fran said as she sat.
Ester handed him his phone. "What do you think about using a tripod?"
"Never question an Indian woman who knows what she's doing," he said to Fran.
Ester handed him the tripod and let him set it up himself.
"Did you prepare questions?" she asked.
"Nope," Theo said. "I'm winging it."
Ester twisted her mouth into a comic frown of displeasure. He wanted to kiss that mouth. She gestured he should go ahead.
Theo had worked out in advance what Fran was willing to talk about. She'd lived on her own since she was a teenager. She didn't elaborate other than to say her mom was unstable and men took advantage of her, so Fran left for the usual reasons young women leave home too early. She'd struggled on the street until she got it together, but she'd created a family out of this community. Public art was one way to share what they had.
"Why yarn?" Ester asked, when Fran had finished.
"Good question," Fran said. "It keeps my hands busy, and it keeps my mind focused. You know, sometimes you get stuck in your head in unproductive ways? You can talk or listen while you work. When we're knitting together we catch up, vent, solve the world's problems. Plus, yarn is fun to buy, too much fun. There's always a color or texture that's irresistible. I love showing off my stash and rooting through my friends' stashes. Online there are photos and videos of the stashes of complete strangers. And once you get how it works, you can do so many things. I like creative problem-solving. And when you're done, you have a physical object that may be useful. You ever try it?"
Ester shook her head. "I get the creative part but I think yarn would make me crazy."
Fran laughed. "It can. But it's fun. Let me know if you change your mind."
"What about me?" Theo asked.
"All are welcome," Fran s
aid. "You have an interest in knitting?"
"Not at all. Thanks Fran," Theo said. "What happens next?"
"We'll come back next weekend and take it down. Some of it can be reused and some of it gets tossed. You want to film that part?"
"I'll figure out how to cram it in."
They said their goodbyes. Ester took the video off his camera before handing it back to him and putting everything away.
"I'll transfer it to a drive you can use when we get back," she said. "What next?"
"I'm writing out the voice-over. I can finish with what we did today."
"That's the part I need help with," Ester said. "The images are easy, the talking part is a challenge. I sound like I'm in front of a firing squad, reciting my last words, which were prepared by someone who doesn't speak English but ran the speech through an online translator."
"I can help you," Theo said. He glanced at the time. He needed to spend a few hours driving, but he wasn't ready to leave Ester yet. "You have time for a walk?"
She looked surprised. "Do you?"
Theo laughed. "A short walk."
"I'll show you the lake." She led him through the trees.
Theo expected a murky duck pond, but this was a wide stretch of blue-green water. If he threw a rock from the edge, he might hit the middle. Lots of folks were out, enjoying the good weather. The path was an endless stream of bikes and people with dogs and strollers. The tap and thump of a drum circle drifted from across the lake.
"I sent you Professor Stone's info on the film workshop. She said the staff is great and they want diversity. Did you look at it?"
Ester shrugged.
"It's perfect for you. If you're accepted, it's almost all paid for. You're more than—"
"I can't do a workshop," Ester said with finality. She picked up a flat rock and skipped it across the water. It bounced a half-dozen times before plunking in.
"Nice shot," Theo said. He searched for his own flat rock.
Ester said, "A few months ago we thought the center was shutting down and Linda introduced me around to other organizations so I would have a job. It made me think about what I want to do versus what I'm doing. I like my colleagues more than the work but I like the stability. I want to pay off the loans before anything else."
Theo picked up a rock and flung it over the water. It bounced three time before falling in.
"It's in the wrist," Ester said, playfully demonstrating. Theo's mind turned the gesture into something less wholesome.
They took their time walking back to the car. Theo kept his hands in his pockets but he walked close enough to brush against her. She didn't move out of his way.
Back at her house, she ran in to transfer his work to a portable drive. He waited in the driveway, going over his calendar, searching for any time they could be together again. It was always going to be like this. He had no time to do this like he wanted to.
Ester dashed out of the house as if exiting a burning building. She rushed up to him and handed over the drive. In the same breath, she stood on tiptoe and kissed him, then darted away.
"Wait!" His heart buzzed in his chest and a surge of longing swept through him. "Do that again."
Her dark eyes stared into his. She came back and pressed her hands to his chest, the gentle contact bringing more pleasure than it should have. She studied his lips before brushing her own across them. An involuntary groan came from the back of his throat. He dropped the drive on the hood and wrapped his arms around her. She leaned into him and he held her tight and kissed her hard, working his tongue into her mouth, lost in the sensation until she whimpered.
He let her go, and she took an unsteady step back. "Was that okay?" he asked.
"I think I passed out for a second," Ester said, the back of her hand pressed against her face.
Theo laughed. "We spent the night together, and we kissed. Now let's go on a date."
Ester nodded, still dazed.
"Professor Stone is screening her film for her students next Sunday. We'll eat noodles."
"I like noodles."
He kissed her one more time before he left.
19
Linda knew better, but she scrolled down and kept reading, one comment after the other feeding her fury until her breath came out in short hot bursts.
"What are you doing?" Ester asked.
"The local weekly wrote an article about our protest." She bit off the last word with a scornful snort and kept reading. The article itself was mildly insulting, characterizing the event as poorly conceived and lamentably executed. The comments were soul crushing. They ranged from the ignorant—don't these people get enough free handouts?—to the irrelevant—tribal basketball should get more news coverage—to the outright vile—the Indians need to face reality, their time is finished.
"Are you reading the comments?"
Linda shook her head and kept scrolling.
Ester came over and took the mouse and closed the browser. "If you learn nothing else from our time together, it should be this: never read the comments."
"The thing that kills me is they're right. We put on a show for that woman's camera. We accomplished nothing except making fools of ourselves. I bet there's a memo circulating this minute about watching out for us if we enter a city building."
"It's an honor to be on a watch list with you," Ester said.
"I admit, I hated the film idea at first," Linda said. Hated was too mild for her reaction to Arnie's grand pronouncement they were doing this, but the more she thought about it, the more the idea gained appeal. A strong film could convince people of the importance of their mission. However, images of them standing around city hall holding signs was not what she envisioned. "I can see how it would be effective. But not contrived moments like last week." She groaned and hid her head on her desk. "I'm fatally embarrassed."
"It wasn't that bad," Ester said. "Just kidding, it was, but don't die. We'll give her suggestions. Her intentions aren't bad but she doesn't get us. At least not the way we want to be gotten. Does that make sense?"
"That's what worries me."
The door opened and Rayanne swept in, bringing a gust of rain with her. "One minute the sun was out, the next minute cloudburst. I ran from the parking lot. My treasure better be unharmed."
She pulled something from under her coat and set it on her desk. Then she peeled off her dripping coat and hung it by the door. Linda kept a towel at the office for moments like this. She tossed it over.
"Thanks. I'm glad it's just you two," Rayanne said, mopping herself off. She unwrapped the item to reveal a yellow box shaped like a treasure chest and brought it to Linda. "I'm ready to pass on one of my most valuable possessions."
"Your cardboard box?" Linda asked.
Rayanne tossed the towel over a chair. "I will have you know, I won this at a bachelorette party. I don't need it anymore. You guys are both dating. You need to be prepared."
It seemed strange to call her time with Virgil “dating.” During their first meeting, she and Virgil sat at a dinky round table, in a room filled with people plugged into laptops. They drank coffee and talked about careers and people they knew in common. It had been pleasant. Next, they had dinner, the first half of the night retaining the vaguely formal air of a job interview. But after a glass of wine, they'd traded laughs. Later they walked to the bookstore, and he'd recommended a memoir she bought but hadn't read yet. Virgil was a good listener and polite. He was smart and challenged her ideas. She wanted to see him again. She turned to Ester. "You're dating Theo?"
Ester blushed and stared at the floor.
"Perfect." Rayanne lifted the lid. Inside was a collection of bright-colored foil packages. "I'm passing what's left to you two."
"Are those what I think they are?" Linda asked.
"It's a pirate's chest filled with condoms," Rayanne said. "Actually, it's only half full of condoms. And all the glow-in-the-dark ones are gone. Sorry."
"So thoughtful. Especially the part how you bro
ught them to the office," Linda said, curious if there was anything in the bylaws that would forbid prophylactic exchange on work premises. "The board and any other person who we want to view us as responsible professionals will appreciate our preparedness."
"It is responsible," Rayanne said. She replaced the lid. "It's a cute little box. No one will even know."
"Fine," Linda said. "But you don't need to bring me condoms. We're still getting to know each other."
"What are you on, third date? It's only a matter of time," Rayanne said.
Linda tried to envision undressing with Virgil. He was one of those wiry guys who mentioned he did distance running. Probably had great legs under those work slacks.
"I'll take 'em," Ester said, sliding the box into her arms.
Linda shook a finger at her. "Put that back. We'll divide them up later."
"That's what I like to see," Rayanne said.
Linda spent her weekend going through archive boxes, searching for early contacts that might be rekindled. "Let's go over the private donor sources and make a calendar for applications. We can get started today."
The morning flashed by as the three of them put together a long-term plan for approaching donors. After lunch, they crowded around Ester's terminal, working together to complete online forms. Linda read figures off of a spreadsheet while Ester entered them in. Rayanne had a laptop open next to them to verify instructions.
Arnie came in. Even with the wet weather, he was decked out in his regular uniform: suit and tie plus a sharp raincoat. Even his boots looked good.
"Didn't know you would be here today," Linda said.
"Me either. Henry was supposed to help me write press releases, but he's too slammed with school."
There was a long pause. Linda leveled a stern eye at him. "Don't even think about it. No one on my staff is available."
"No one is asking for your staff," Arnie said, but from his tone she could tell that's what he wanted. "I can write them myself." He headed to the work station Ester had set up for him.
"What's this?" He pointed at the cardboard treasure chest on her desk.
Lovesick Braves Page 13
