JC: William Redman Carter Noble Savage Chapter 34 By Lazlo Zalezac Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezac, 2005 Eddie stood with his legs spread shoulder wide and his fists on his hips. Glaring at the man standing in front of him, he said, “My brother is the smartest person alive.” “There are a lot of very smart people in this world, young man,” the distinguished looking man said with amusement in his voice. He added, “As Provost of this University, I can tell you that many of them are here on this campus.” “I don’t care who you are. My brother is the smartest person alive. He’s going to win a Nobel Prize, just like Daddy John Carter and Daddy Leroy.” William stepped over to Eddie and put a hand on his shoulder. It was hard to believe how much his brother had grown over the past few months. He was almost as tall as William already and probably would grow another six inches before this growth spurt ended. Everyday he looked more and more like Ed. It was hard to believe that Eddie wasn’t a clone. Hoping to diffuse the situation, William said, “Eddie, I see you’ve met the Provost.” “Yes. He doesn’t believe that you are the smartest person alive.” William smiled at the claim and said, “There are an awful lot of very smart people in this world.” “That doesn’t keep you from being the smartest of them all,” Eddie said with a curt nod of his head. Seeing the exchange from across the room, Lucy came over and gave Eddie a big hug. She smiled at him and asked, “Are you bragging about your brother again?” “I’m not bragging, I’m stating a fact,” Eddie said defensively. “Hey, don’t get mad at me. I’m on your side,” Lucy said with a wink at the Provost. The elderly man smiled back at her. She whispered in Eddie’s ear, “I think he’s the smartest guy in the world, too.” “Sorry, Lucy. It’s just that the people here don’t seem to know how smart my big brother is,” Eddie said with a sigh. He pointed to William and said, “Even William doesn’t seem to know how smart he is.” “Let’s go see your brother John. I’m sure that he’ll agree with us,” Lucy said as she steered him away from the Provost. When they were out of earshot, William said, “That’s my little brother. He’s the family cheerleader. According to him, my little sister is the greatest athlete who has ever lived. My brother, John, is the greatest biologist since the emergence of blue green algae. And, my sister, Beth is the greatest architect since man first decorated the entrance to a cave. Of course, he’s right about them.” The Provost laughed at the comment about the cave. His specialty had been in anthropology. He said, “It is understandable. You do come from a rather intellectually distinguished family. He has a right to be proud of all that your family has accomplished, Dr. Carter.” “Thank you, sir.” “I was really quite pleased when I learned that you were coming here to complete your studies. You are the first Druid College graduate to attend our school and to attract someone of your stature was quite a coup.” William smiled at the use of the Native American term and said, “You have a lot of well known scholars on campus. I doubt that I’ll be the last graduate of the Druid College to finish my education here.” A tall gentleman in a gray suit approached the pair. The Provost noticed him first and turned to greet him. “Hello Governor.” “Hello, Samuel. So you finally got my son through his Master’s degree.” The Provost laughed at the suggestion that he had anything to do with it and said, “We enjoyed having him on campus. You should be proud of him.” Turning to face the Governor, William took a moment to examine the father of his friend. He was about to introduce himself when the Governor said, “You are William Redman Carter, or I guess I should say - Dr. Carter. Doug has told me a lot about you.” “I hope he didn’t tell you the truth about me, I’d hate to ruin my sterling reputation,” William said with a smile. The Governor laughed and said, “I can see why my son likes you. You have the same twisted sense of humor that he does. Where is your lovely fiancée?” “She’s riding herd on my little brother,” William said. “Ah, the young man who proudly informed me that you are the smartest man in the world,” commented the Governor with a chuckle. He had liked the young man. It was nice to find someone who felt so proud of his family. “Yes, that would be him.” The Provost said, “He’s quite tenacious when it comes to defending Dr. Carter.” William looked across the room at his little brother with more than a little pride. Eddie was a good kid. He said, “Eddie is special and I mean that in a positive way. He’s going to take my father’s place in this world and those are some big boots that he’s got to fill. You don’t know how important it is to me to know that Eddie will carry on my father’s work.” “He’s going to be the next John Carter?” asked the Governor looking over at Eddie with renewed interest. “No. He’s going to be the next Ed Biggers,” William answered. The Provost said, “Ah, so he’s going to serve the Two-Sided One.” “No. That is my destiny. His is to be the guardian angel for a small town in Arizona,” William said. Looking over at the Governor, he added, “You never know. He just might become the Governor of Arizona.” The Governor said, “My son speaks very highly of Ed Biggers. He seems to value his conversations with your father quite a bit. I’d like to meet him.” Grinning at the thought of his father around a politician, William said, “He’s the only guy dressed in a black robe in the room. You’re free to try and chase him down, but I’ve got to warn you that he avoids politicians like the plague.” “Why? I thought Druids were supposed to provide counsel to us politicians.” William chuckled at the thought of his father giving advice to a man running for office. He said, “My father is a human lie detector. Half truths and lies drive him bonkers.” The Provost looked at the Governor and laughed at the hurt expression on the man’s face. He knew the Governor prided himself on dealing with people honestly. The Provost said, “No wonder he avoids politicians.” “I’m going to have to talk to my son and tell him to leave your father alone. How can he fill my shoes if he doesn’t learn to lie a little,” the Governor joked. “Speaking of the devil, here he is,” William said as Doug approached the group. “What?” Doug asked. “Your father was just saying that he was going to have a long talk with you about your chats with my father.” “Why?” “He says that my father is stunting your political career since you aren’t learning to lie,” William said. “Sorry dad, I promise I’ll practice telling a lie every day,” Doug said with a wink at William. “That’s a good start, son. I counted three lies in that one sentence.” William asked, “Three?” “The first one was that he was sorry. The second one was a promise and we all know that by definition a promise from a politician or his family is a lie. The third one was that he was going to tell a lie every day. Makes a politician proud to see his son follow in his footsteps like that,” the Governor said as he put an arm around Doug and hugged him close. William burst out laughing. Grinning at the rare display of public affection, Doug said, “I’m just a chip off the old block.” Once the laughter died down, the Provost asked, “So Doug, what are your plans for the future?” “I’m going after my doctorate in history. I’ve got an idea that I’m considering as the primary thesis of my dissertation, but I haven’t fully committed to it yet,” Doug answered with a shrug. He still hadn’t found what he considered to be an ideal historical episode on which to put forth the idea of a failure of followership. Suddenly serious, the Governor said, “If you pursue that topic, I’m pretty sure that you can get federal funding to support your work. The more that I think about it, the more I’m convinced that it’s one of the most significant problems facing the world today.” Doug looked uncomfortable for a minute. Biting his lower lip, he said, “I’d really appreciate it if you didn’t use your influence to help me with the funding.” “There’s no need to go after government funding. I’ll fund your work,” William said. The Governor’s initial reaction was to get upset at Doug’s suggestion that his help would not be appreciated, but William’s comment demanded his immediate attention. Surprised, he asked, “Why?” William smiled at the man’s sudden change in expression and said, “Because I’m going to need his work to complete mine.” Stunned by William’s reference to completing his work, Doug asked, “You’re really going to pursue it, aren’t you?” “Yes. If you can demonstrate the problem, then I’ll find a solution to it,” William said. “Where’s your little brother?” the Governor asked. Over breakfast that morning, Doug had told him what William had proposed to do. William looked around and spotted Eddie with his father talking in the corner. Pointing over to the pair, he said, “He’s over there with my father. Why?” “I’m going to march over there and tell him that he’s right about you. That is the most ambitious project that I’ve ever heard anyone undertaking. For some reason, God help me, I believe that you’ll accomplish it.” After a discussion in which more details about their future research projects had been exchanged, William drifted off to meet with other guests. He moved into the main room of the mansion where most of the guests were gathered. The party, in honor of his receiving the doctorate and Lucy receiving her bachelor’s degree, was being held in the home of the University President. That hadn’t been his plan. However, when the University President had heard who was on the guest list, he had volunteered his home. William hadn’t gone more than a dozen steps when Jan approached him. She smiled and said, “Congratulations, William.” “Thank you, Jan,” William replied feeling a little guilty. For the first few months of her residency in the house, he had been in Texas. The past few months had been exceptionally busy. Much of his time had been spent negotiating the last draft with his supervisory committee. He said, “We haven’t really had a chance to talk much since you moved into the RV. How are you doing?” “I’m doing great. I apologize about not coming into the house more often. It’s just that I spend most of my time in the RV. I love it in there. I love the privacy, the quiet, and the comfort. I’ve never really had a place that I could call mine,” Jan answered. There were times when she spread out on her couch luxuriating in her privacy. It was easy to tell that Jan was very happy. Her smile was contagious and he was quickly infected with her happiness. William said, “I’m really glad that you like it. Lucy has loved having you around.” “Lucy has been wonderful. She takes me to school with her when you aren’t available. We go shopping every week. She’s been teaching me to cook. Of course, Lisa has been helping me with that as well.” William said, “It sounds like you’ve been busy. Now that it is getting warmer, maybe you could start joining us for Tai Chi in the morning.” “I’m not really much of a morning person. I’ve been getting up kind of late every morning,” Jan replied feeling a little embarrassed at rejecting his offer. She felt that rejecting his offer was the same as denying that she owed him a lot. “No problem. I’m sure that after years of having to wake with sunrise that sleeping in must be a real pleasure. Perhaps you’ll join us in the pool on those hot afternoons in the summer,” William said. Jan blushed at the suggestion that she was waiting until summer to visit the pond. She said, “I haven’t waited for it to get hot. Every day it is warm enough, I go down there and have a little swim.” “Excellent. Maybe one of these days Lucy and I will join you.” “That would be fun,” she said. She looked around the room and a slight frown appeared on her face. She said, “You probably ought to visit with your other guests. A lot of important people have come to see you. There’s no reason to spend your time with me.” Noticing the slight frown and recognizing that she didn’t feel worthy of bothering him, William stepped to her stand beside her and put an arm around her shoulder. While giving her a friendly hug, he said, “I’m never too busy to talk with you. You’re an important part of our household. Don’t ever forget that.” “Thank you,” she said with tears forming in her eyes. “Come with me and meet some of these important people,” William said as he used his arm around her to guide her over to where Kotyit and Dale were talking. They had just finished talking with the President of the University. The man had made it a point to suggest that they send graduates of the Native American College to his school. Kotyit was amazed that the man had sought him out like that. Kotyit spotted William approaching and turned to Dale. With a wink at the younger man, he said, “Ah, Dr. Doolittle has decided to come visit us lowly folk.” William rolled his eyes and shook his head in amusement at the older man’s use of the name of the fictional character. Kotyit was wearing a western style suit and looked quite sharp in it. William couldn’t recall ever seeing the elderly man wearing a suit. “Hello, Kotyit. Dale.” Confused, Jan looked around to see if someone else was joining them and asked, “Dr. Doolittle?” Pointing at William, Dale said, “His Tribal name is Talks with Animals. Now that he is a doctor, we think it might be appropriate to change his name to Dr. Doolittle.” “Oh, I get it,” Jan said making the connection to the childhood film she had seen years before. When Dale started singing a little of the song about talking to the animals, she giggled at the idea of such an important man as Kotyit telling jokes like that. She patted William on the arm and said, “Dr. Doolittle, I’m going off to talk with Lucy Diamonds. Have fun with your friends.” “Okay, Jan,” William said. He watched her walk over to Lucy and Eddie wondering why she had chosen to call Lucy by her street name. “Lucy Diamonds?” “That’s the name the homeless call Lucy,” William said. “And what is your name among the homeless,” asked Kotyit. He was curious about William’s life away from the Native American community. “Half Feather,” William answered. Concerned that the name was a way of calling William a half- breed, Dale asked, “Is there insult implied by that name?” “None. If you ask any of the homeless, you will hear the name spoken with respect,” William answered. He had gotten the name when he was eight and a couple of the homeless had called him half-pint. When William had mentioned his Native American heritage, another of the homeless men had asked him if he had a feather. After a few comments about lacking a feather and that a half-pint only needed half a feather, his nickname had been reduced to Half Feather. “Dr. William Redman Carter, Talks With Animals, and Half Feather. That is a lot of names for one man to carry with him,” Kotyit said looking over at William with the kind of affection an uncle would give a favored nephew. He was proud of his young friend. “It is not the names, but the responsibilities that come with them that weigh a man down,” William said. “I’m sure that you do honor to each name,” Kotyit said. “I do what I can,” William answered with a shrug. He looked at Kotyit and, in an attempt to change the subject, said, “Nice suit.” “You like it? My granddaughter said that I should wear it. She thinks she is a fashion expert,” said Kotyit. From the tone of his voice, it was clear that he wasn’t sure if he shared her opinion. He added, “I think it makes me look too white.” “No. It makes you look like a warrior. All we need to do is give you a brief case and everyone will run away from you,” Dale said with a grin. “I never thought I’d see the day when a red man wearing a suit instilled more fear in a white man than when he wore war paint,” Kotyit said while shaking his head. He had been present when the White Buffalo had chosen a lawyer, Large Elk, to honor as a warrior. The message given had been to use the rules of society as a means to protect the people, but that they were to temper their efforts with compassion. Smiling at the irony of the situation, William said, “The people grow stronger.” Nodding his head in agreement, Dale said, “Alcoholism is almost non-existent now. Our children are graduating school at a higher rate than all other ethnic groups in the country. Our men and women are earning good money. Many old wrongs have been righted.” Spotting Ling, Kotyit said, “Speaking of righting old wrongs, I see your mothers are here. We owe them a great debt for helping to save the White Buffalo. If you’ll excuse me, I would like to go talk to them.” “Of course,” William said with a smile. Dale watched Kotyit leave and then turned to William. In a soft voice that wouldn’t carry, he said, “Kotyit and I were talking about how some of the tribal elders are having problems accepting that the world has really changed. They are waiting for the bad news to come.” “I understand their feelings. We should not belittle them for being slow to recognize change, but praise them for their diligence in watching out for the welfare of the tribes,” William said. The idea of addressing the problems that were resulting from tribal elders by praising them for their diligence shocked Dale. He said, “You can’t be serious!” “I’m very serious. You and I are young. We accept what we see happening as good and right. The elders have seen much more of life’s outrages than either of us. They are suspicious of what is happening. Their suspicions are founded on experience. Let us not discount that experience too readily,” William counseled. “What do you suggest?” “How about Kotyit and I make a visit to the tribal elders of the five hundred tribes?” Although there were five hundred tribes, they would only have to visit forty locations if they invited the smaller tribes to attend a few larger meetings. Dale was silent for a minute as he considered the suggestion. He knew that as much as Kotyit supported what was happening, there were times when the rate of change threatened to overwhelm him. He asked, “Are you sure that Kotyit is the right person to go with you?” “Yes. His presence will balance my youth.” “Good enough. I suggest you visit our tribe first to see how things go,” Dale said expecting William to discover the true difficultly of the task that he was planning to undertake. The conversation was interrupted when a campus policeman came over to William. Bending over to speak in his ear, he said, “Excuse me, Dr. Carter. There is a homeless man outside who says that he is an invited guest, but he doesn’t have an invitation with him.” “Ah, that would be Fat Fred. Let him in,” William said. Seeing the expression on the man’s face, William said, “Don’t worry. Like you, he is a law enforcement officer.” “Oh. Okay,” the officer replied wondering if the man was some sort of undercover agent. William turned to Dale and said, “Prepare to meet Fat Fred.” “That’s not a nice way to refer to someone,” Dale said. “That is his name,” William said. He turned to face the door in time to see Fat Fred enter. It seemed to him that the big man had gained weight over the past few months. Fat Fred was wearing the same clothes that he wore everyday on the street and didn’t seem to care that he was not as well dressed as everyone else. The big man looked around the room without embarrassment. It only took him a minute to spot William who was waving to him. Walking past a rather surprised Provost, Fat Fred shouted, “Hello, Half Feather!” William waited for Fat Fred to be a little closer before he answered, “Hello, Fat Fred.” “Ah, I see you have another Indian with you. Hmmm, what might your name be?” Frowning at being called an Indian, Dale answered, “I’m Dale.” “Dale? What a boring name. Names should be expressive. Names should be fun. They should describe you in some way.” He paused and then asked, “You are a friend of William?” William smiled at the question and answered, “He’s a good friend of mine. We were classmates at the Native American College. We have much in common.” Fat Fred looked at Dale for a moment and then, with a large grin, said, “If you don’t stop frowning, I’ll have to name you Frownin’ Man.” “Huh?” “That would be worse than going through life known as Fat Fred,” he said while patting his rather large stomach. “Of course, I’ve worked hard to achieve the rotund body that you see before you. I even take a great deal of pride in it.” Winking at Dale, William said, “I think that Desert Dale would be a good name for my friend.” “Desert Dale? I like it,” the large man said. His voice carried across the room. Turning to Dale, he added, “I will tell my people that Desert Dale is a friend of Half Feather and Lucy Diamonds. If you’re ever in trouble, tell a homeless person that you are Desert Dale. They will help you in what ever way they can.” “They will help me?” Dale asked wondering how anyone who couldn’t help themselves could possibly help him. “Yes. They will help you because you are a friend of Half Feather,” Fat Fred answered in a serious tone of voice. He looked around for a second and then leaned over towards William to ask, “Where’s the food?” William laughed and pointed to a doorway across the room. He said, “It’s over in that room over there. Fix yourself a plate or three and mingle with my other guests.” “I’m good at mingling. If you want to find me, just look for the people running from a room! I’ll be there,” Fat Fred said with a belly laugh. Still chuckling to himself, he waddled off to the room that William had indicated. Even from the other room, he could hear Fat Fred greet Doug, “Hello, Old Tales! How’s the history biz going?” Turning to William, Dale asked, “What was all that about?” “You’ve been accepted by the homeless as my friend,” William answered. “And that is a good thing?” Dale asked with a snort. “Yes, it is. Don’t underestimate the help they can provide. They saved Lucy from getting beaten by two men who had been hired to hurt her. If you are ever in real trouble, they will help you out,” William answered. Putting a hand on his friend’s shoulder, he said, “I must warn you that there’s a price for their friendship.” “What price?” “It is the same price that you always have to pay for friendship. You have to accept them despite their flaws,” William answered.