JC: William Redman Carter Noble Savage Chapter 29 By Lazlo Zalezac Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezac, 2005 William had walked, rather than drive, to the high school. The walk had been a weird experience. The old houses, the trees lining the streets, and the autumn air lent the neighborhood a timeless feel. Outside of the cars in the streets, it could have been any decade from the fifties to the present. With each step along the way, he was fully aware that his father had taken the same route to school when he was a child. Walking to the school had made him feel like he was walking in his father’s footsteps. For a moment, the past and present were overlaid one atop the other. Making his way through the crowded gates, it seemed to William as if the entire town had turned out for the game. The drawing together of the community around a single event reminded him of the town in Arizona. It had a similar sense of togetherness. There was a little pushing and shoving that wasn’t present in Arizona, but the people here hadn’t lived under the calming influence of John Carter and Ed Biggers. Even though the game wasn’t to start for another twenty minutes, the place was full of people. Entire families sat together on the bleachers with bags filled with snacks, blankets, and seat cushions. Classmates sat together, pushing and shoving each other with laughter and teasing comments. Lovers sat side by side, staring into each other’s eyes. Hundreds of little private dramas play out, but were shared openly for all to see. Looking around the stands, William could see that all of the seats near the center of the field were taken. It was clear that the middle of the bleachers were the highest demand seats. Rather than displace someone who had a more vested interest in watching the game, he walked over to the least filled end and took a seat about halfway up the stands. He had just settled into his seat when a young woman sat down next to him in a manner reminiscent of a bird coming in to land. She had short black hair styled in spikes. Her outfit, black pants and black tee-shirt made her look like some sort of Goth, but the effect was ruined by tanned skin, the lack of piercings, and tasteful makeup. Leaning over to him, she said, “Visitors usually sit on the other side unless they’re looking for a fight.” “You mean this side is meant for regulars?” William asked wondering if he had missed some sort of sign. “Huh?” the girl asked confused by his question. “You said that visitors sit on the other side of the field. So I would assume that this side is for regulars,” William said. “This is the side for the home team,” the girl said looking at William with an odd expression. A squawk from the railing captured William’s attention and he turned to examine the black bird sitting on the railing. It studied him with the same degree of interest. William, speaking to the bird in his Native American tongue, asked, “What are you doing here?” The bird gave forth another sound and William looked at the girl with real surprise. His tone of voice was a mixture of question and statement when he said, “The bird says he is your friend.” She smiled at how he had phrased it and said, “That’s Blackie. He’s one of my birds.” “Hey Birdie. What’s up?” a young man asked as he stepped up the stairs of the bleacher. He knew that she didn’t like the nickname, but everyone used it. She was the weird girl in school who was more at ease with her birds than people. “Oh hey, Mark,” answered the girl absently as she studied William. She didn’t really care for Mark, but he wasn’t as bad as most of the guys in the school. They were all small town boys and she had dreams that they couldn’t comprehend. She was more interested in how William had figured out her relationship with the bird. Wondering if he was in the right place, Mark looked at William. Joe had asked him to find an Indian and spend the game with him. This guy was the only Indian he had found. He wondered why he was seated next to Birdie. He asked, “Are you William?” Surprised to be recognized, William answered, “Yes.” “I’m Mark. Joe said that you’ve never watched a football game. He asked if I would explain the game to you.” “Thanks. He did say something about finding someone to explain the rules of the game to me.” Mark looked over at the girl with a frown and said, “I see you’ve met Birdie.” “You’re a friend of Joe’s?” Birdies’ face had a slightly disgusted expression on it. She didn’t mind Mark so much, but Joe was a complete jerk. The crow gave forth another squawk that loosely translated into Sparrows and Wrens. William turned to face the bird and said, “I see. Should I be concerned?” When the bird squawked again, Birdie and Mark both stared at William talking to the bird in a language they couldn’t understand. William looked at the two people seated next to him and, seeing the odd expressions they were giving him, said, “Blackie says that you are like Sparrows and Wrens. Those are two kinds of birds that occupy the same territory, but do not interact well with each other. He says that you are not friends, but you are not enemies either.” Although Birdie talked to her birds, she was skeptical that the birds talked back. She had been surprised by the remarkable exchange between William and Blackie. It was almost as if they were talking. Mark said, “You two belong together -- Birdie and the Birdman.” “My Native American name is Talks with Animals.” Birdie said, “Cool.” “Whatever,” Mark replied with a shrug while wondering if William was all there. He looked back at the field as the teams came out. The game was about to start and he wanted to watch. Irritated by Mark’s attitude, Birdie said, “Mark, I’ll explain the game to him. Go play with the rest of your Neanderthal friends.” “Birdie, don’t talk bad about my friends. At least I have some that are human.” The girl frowned and was about to retort when William laughed. Shaking his head, he said, “Yes. Blackie was right. You are just like Wrens and Sparrows. You fight and bicker with lots of ruffled feathers, but no real damage.” Mark stared at William for a second and decided the young man was just a bit too strange for his taste. He said, “Maybe she has the right idea. You two belong together.” Fully understanding what Mark thought of him, William laughed at the comment. He said, “I don’t know many people here and I’d hate to miss the chance to learn more about life in this town. If you wouldn’t mind staying, I’d like you to explain the game to me. Somehow I have a feeling that Birdie doesn’t have quite the same feel for the game as you.” Mark looked over at Birdie and smiled. Despite the fact that she was the school’s resident kook, she followed the games just as closely as everyone else in town. He said, “Ah, she knows enough about the game. Her brother is Jack Watson, the team’s best running back.” “I met Jack the other day when I visited the dojo.” Birdie looked at William for a second. Her brother had been talking about some kid that he’d met earlier that week, but he hadn’t said that the guy was a Native American. Although there were lots of things that had impressed Jack, he had been most impressed by his fighting skills and had talked incessantly about them. Like every younger sister, she had tuned him out after just a few minutes and missed all of the other information about William. She said, “Ah, you’re the guy my brother has been talking about all week. He said that you are some sort of Kung Fu fighter.” “I guess one could say that,” William answered with a smile. It was obvious to him that Birdie had no idea who he was. Mark looked down at the field as the team captains met in the middle of the field for the coin toss. He said, “Hey, they are about to have the coin toss.” Staring at the actions in the center of the field, William asked, “I thought this was some sort of ball game, not gambling.” Birdie laughed and said, “They are tossing the coin to see who kicks off and what end of the field they want.” “End of the field? They are supposed to stay on different ends of the playing area?” Mark rolled his eyes at the comment. He couldn’t believe that anyone was that ignorant of the game. He asked, “Are you actually an American?” “Yes, I am,” William answered wondering what that had to do with anything. Birdie laughed and said, “He just means that you seem a little out of touch with some very important elements of American culture.” It required both Birdie and Mark to explain the game to William during the first quarter. Mark would describe the technical aspects of the game while making reference to positions, plays, and strategies. Birdie would translate Mark’s explanations into concrete examples of what was occurring on the field. It was interesting how their explanations complemented each other. By the middle of the second quarter, William was able to follow the game without too many questions. Near the middle of the stands, Vice Principal Jim Means looked around at the crowd with a practiced eye. As much as he enjoyed watching the game, he felt duty bound to watch over the students attending the game. When he spotted William, a sick feeling settled in his stomach. A strange young man talking with some of his students suggested only one thing – drugs. He had worked hard to keep drugs out of his high school and it was time for him to chase away this cancer before it could spread into his school. Jim stood and headed to the far end of the stands to see what was happening. Much to his surprise, Dave Anderson waved him over to where he was seated. He knew Dave Anderson from the school board. Dave was the current chair and had contributed a significant amount of money for student programs. If Dave wanted to talk to him, he’d take the time to listen. He paused and asked, “What’s up Dave?” “I noticed you where you were heading. Leave the young man alone,” Dave said with a gesture in William’s direction. He had seen Jim adopt his official Vice Principal posture and had looked around to see what had inspired him to act in that manner. He had been surprised to see that William was the subject of the man’s hard gaze. Rather than allow Jim to initiate a useless confrontation, he had acted to save the man. “You know him?” “Yes. That is William Redman Carter, the son of John Carter. He’s visiting here while finishing his education.” Jim could have been knocked over with a feather. He looked over at William and asked, “That’s the son of John Carter?” “Yes.” Jim was fully aware of the relationship between the Carters and the Andersons. Jack Anderson, Dave’s adopted father, had become John Carter’s accountant just after John Carter had invented the Fusion Well. He asked, “Did you know that John Carter saved my grandfather’s life once?” Dave chuckled at the comment. John Carter had saved so many people that it was tough to find someone who didn’t have a story about the man. His father often told how John had saved his life. Dave had been there, but John’s actions hadn’t seemed as significant to him as they had been to his father. He answered, “Uncle John saved a lot of people. My mother, my father, and, even if I may be so bold to say, me.” “You say he’s here to finish his education. I take it he will be registering for classes soon?” Dave laughed at the implication that William would be attending high school and said, “He’s writing his dissertation. He’s finishing his doctorate in economics.” The news shocked the educator. He had always considered going back to college and getting a doctorate in education, but the amount of work had always intimidated him. He asked, “Isn’t he kind of young for that?” “He graduated from the Druid College when he was twelve.” The Vice Principal looked over at William and shook his head. Occasionally there would be some story on the news about a young kid graduating college at an obscenely early age, but he had always discounted those kinds of stories. Shaking his head, he asked, “What can a kid that young know about life?” “A lot more than you can possibly imagine,” Dave answered. He knew enough about William to give that answer. After a moment of thought, he added, “I’ll introduce you to him during halftime. You’ll see for yourself.” When halftime started, Birdie leapt up like a bird taking flight. She always sat at the end of the bleachers so that she could avoid the lines at the concession stands during halftime. She said, “Let’s go to the concession stands before the crowd makes it there.” Mark and William followed Birdie down the stairs to the exit. They were actually much closer to the concession stands than the majority of the crowd. Before he knew it, he was standing at the counter with a young kid asking him what he wanted. Not prepared to answer, he just started reading items off the menu, “Coke, hot dog, corny dog, cheese nachos, peanuts, and popcorn.” Birdie stared at him as he rattled off his order. Shaking her head, she said, “A little hungry?” “That’ll be twelve fifty, dude.” William started to hand over a twenty and then said, “Hey, add a raw hamburger patty to that.” “Don’t have one, dude. All our burgers are nuked,” said the kid surprised by the request. When William handed over the twenty, Birdie asked, “What’s the raw hamburger for?” “Blackie,” William answered as he accepted his change. The kid handed him a small cardboard box piled high with his order. Still staring at the massive quantity of food, she was pleased by his concern for her bird despite the fact that it wasn’t necessary. She said, “I have a small packet of dog treats that I carry with me. It’s kind of like ground beef, but it doesn’t spoil and the crows like it. I carry a small bag of sunflower seeds and cracked corn for the other birds.” Mark shook his head and said, “She’s always surrounded by birds. It’s too weird if you ask me.” At the mention of her being weird, Birdie spun and said, “No one is asking you.” “You’re holding up the line,” Mark said pointing to the kid waiting impatiently behind the counter. There was already a long line of people behind them. While Birdie put in her order for popcorn and soft drink, William was sorting through the food he had ordered. Holding up the corny dog, he asked, “What is this?” “That’s a corny dog,” Mark answered with a raised eyebrow. Although this was the son of John Carter, he decided that William was even weirder than Birdie. It made him wonder why Joe had asked him to explain the game to the kid. Joe was the most intolerant person at school when it came to weirdness. “How is one supposed to eat it?” “Put a bunch of that yellow mustard over it and then eat it off the stick.” William followed the instructions and found that he liked it a lot even though it was just a hotdog covered in batter and deep fried. Grinning, he said, “Hey, this is really good. Why don’t you find them everywhere?” “Are you for real?” Mark asked. William was tempted to give a smart-ass reply, but he didn’t. There were many things in life that he hadn’t experienced, but he was young yet and there was time. He took another bite of the corny dog and chewed happily. He followed Birdie and Mark to the stands. The pair, shocked by what they were seeing, watched as William ate his junk food. The corny dog was finished almost as soon as he sat down. That was followed by the hot dog. He was starting on the cheese nachos when Birdie asked, “Isn’t that Mr. Anderson?” Mark answered, “Sure is. I wonder what he’s doing coming over here.” William looked up and saw Dave heading in his direction. He was followed by another man who seemed to have a major degree of influence on the behavior of the students he passed. Birdie said, “Mr. Means is coming too.” Curious, William asked, “What’s the big deal?” “Mr. Anderson is the richest man in town.” William looked at Birdie waiting for an explanation fully unaware that she had already given it. It took a second for him to realize that she was impressed by his wealth. As the men approached, William turned away from Birdie and greeted his friend. “Hello, Dave.” “Hello William. I’m surprised to see you at a high school football game. Taking a break from your work?” Nodding his head, William answered, “I finished the first draft this afternoon. I’m going to take a week off before getting back to it. Joe Jenkins dropped off some tickets for the game so I came out to watch it.” Jim Means looked over at Birdie and Mark. Birdie was watching the exchange between William and Dave in a state of shock. In an amused tone of voice, he said, “Well, Beatrice Fletcher and Mark Thomson together at a football game. I never would have thought I’d live to see the day that you two were actually sitting together without fighting.” Birdie cringed at hearing her name and said, “I don’t like to be called Beatrice.” Mark chuckled and, taking an opportunity to get in a dig, said, “She prefers Birdie.” Voice cold, she corrected him. “I prefer Betty.” Overhearing the exchange, William shook his head as he said, “I like Birdie better. It suits you.” The comment surprised her and she turned to look at him. She couldn’t believe the nice guy sitting next to her would take up the dreaded nickname that had followed her through school. She said, “I don’t like it.” “Among my people, names sometimes choose their owner,” William said. He paused to examine her closely. Her black spiky hair, black shirt, black pants, and black shoes reminded him of the crow that was watching from less than twenty feet away. He turned and looked back at the black bird before he said, “If you were of my tribe, I’m sure that your name would be –gaagii at eet. That basically means crow girl. As a Medicine Man, that is the name I would give you. Birdie is pretty close for English.” Birdie stared at William. Rather than return her stare, he held up a fist. Blackie flew to him and landed on it. It squawked and William said, “Blackie agrees.” Dave had listened to the exchange and said, “You should be honored. You have been given a name by a Medicine Man that is highly respected amongst all of the tribes.” William shook his hand and the crow flew off to land on the railing at the end of the bleacher. William glanced at Dave and than at Mr. Means. He said, “Perhaps one day we’ll have a long talk about that. However, I believe you brought a friend over to meet me.” “Ah, this is Jim Means. He’s the Vice Principal at the high school.” While William talked with the two men, Birdie was thinking about what William had said. She hadn’t yet realized with whom she had been talking. The idea that the young man was a well respected Medicine Man was odd. As far as she knew from western movies that she had watched, Medicine men were usually old and spooky rather than young and exuberant. Still, his naming her Birdie had sent shivers down her spine and subtly changed her opinion towards her nickname. Birdie wasn’t the only one impressed by what William had said. Mark was staring at Birdie as if seeing her with new eyes. He knew William was the son of John Carter. He hadn’t known the young man was a Medicine Man. The interaction with the crow was just too perfect for it to be real, but it had occurred. The fact that William felt she deserved a special name made Mark reassess the young woman. For a change, he looked beyond the short spiky hair and dark clothes to see the woman within. He recalled the story about how she became Birdie by rescuing a baby bird that had fallen from its nest and raising it. He glanced over at Blackie and knew the bird was lucky to be alive. Most birds rescued in that fashion didn’t last a day. Blackie might have been the first bird she had rescued, but it wasn’t the last one. Everyone brought injured birds to her. Birdie was not aware of much around her until the Mr. Means and Mr. Anderson had returned to their seats. She turned to William and asked, “How do you know Mr. Anderson?” “He’s my family’s accountant.” Puzzled, she said, “But he’s the accountant for the Carters.” “Right,” answered William as he turned to watch the kickoff that would start the second half of the game. Birdie stared at him for most of the second half of the game. The game ended with a narrow victory for the home team. As the crowd dispersed, William said, “Let’s go congratulate Joe on his victory.” “You can’t really do that here. He’ll be over at the Mickey D’s after they get done in the lockers,” Mark said. William’s eyes lit up at the mention of the fast food restaurant. He said, “Ah, the Burger Burner! Let’s head over there.” Unwilling to hang out with the team, Birdie stood to leave. In a voice that clearly displayed her disappointment, she said, “I guess I’ll see you around.” “You’re not coming with us?” William asked. “I don’t really get along with the testosterone crowd,” she answered with more than a little disgust in her voice. “Who’s that?” “The jocks,” she answered while rolling her eyes. Mark shrugged his shoulders as if to say that she was the one with the problem. William looked at her for a moment and then said, “Why don’t you get along with them?” “They make fun of me because of my birds.” “Ah, they are jealous of you because you have a most wonderful gift and you avoid them because of their jealousy,” William commented with a knowing nod of his head. William turned to Mark and said, “Hold up your hand in the shape of a fist.” Mark slowly raised his fist until it was level with his shoulder. Blackie landed on his fist. The weight of the bird was more substantial than he had ever believed. The young man was startled and started to shake his hand to dislodge the bird. William said, “Stay as you are and take a moment to examine Blackie.” “Okay,” Mark said. He looked at the bird from a distance of less than two feet. He could see every feather, including the fine delicate feathers around the eyes. The eyes were a shiny black that swallowed the light, but still reflected back enough to see himself in the eyes of the bird. The beak was larger than it looked from a distance. He had never been that close to a bird before. “It’s an amazing creature, isn’t it?” “Yes,” Mark said. Blackie flew away and for a moment he felt a sense of loss. He watched it fly and realized that it didn’t constantly flap his wings. It was at that moment that he realized he had learned more about birds in half a minute than he had learned his entire life. Awed, he said, “I can see why you like birds.” William winked at Birdie and, in a joking voice, said, “Still, it’s not a dog.” Mark laughed as William had given voice to his thoughts and said, “True, but that crow is an amazing animal.” Looking at Birdie, William said, “Lots of people have been jealous of my gifts. They stop being jealous once they realize the price I pay for them. Perhaps it is time for you to let others know what your gift costs you.” “What cost?” Mark asked. “Sleepless nights spent nursing an ill bird back to health. There’s also the loneliness that arises as a result of taking care of them rather than joining in the activities of others around her. There’s always the pain of failure that comes when she can’t save one after working so hard for several days,” William answered. As he had described her life, Birdie had nodded her head. She was surprised that he had understood so well. She couldn’t remember how many times she had to cancel some activity because someone had found an injured bird and brought it to her. At any time there were two or three birds at home in various states of health. Puzzled, Mark asked, “So why do it?” “So that I can watch them fly away when I’ve made them better.” Smiling at Birdie, William said, “Come with us to the burger burner. It’s time to make others understand.”