Unexpectedly our friend Chester arrives at our house. He waits outside, doesn’t knock on the door or anything. He just stands there leaning against his car, waiting.
Neewa who is outside on her chain, barks a few times and then sits down and watches Chester.
My Dad and Chester work together over at the government building. Sometimes they go fishing in the canyon outside of town. They walk up the canyon, in the water, fishing the pools as the water flows down through the rocks and gorges to the valley.
Dad took me horseback riding in the canyon once. It was so much fun, my horse was named Rosy. We rode across the desert and then up into the canyon. Rosy stopped and drank water from the stream. She pulled the reins right out of my hand so she could reach down to the water. I was almost knocked right off of her into the river.
The water is so crystal clear and clean you can drink it.
Everywhere in the canyon are quaking aspen trees with leaves that shake in the wind, as if they are dancing. That’s why they call them quaking aspen. The sun reflects off of them making the leaves shimmer like stars shining in the night.
Chester is a Native American and he has a home in town. He’s tall, with long straight black hair down to his shoulders. Usually he wears blue jeans with cowboy boots and a nice shirt with a collar, which is left hanging out, never tucked in. His stomach hangs over his belt buckle. Chester is an artist. He paints pictures of desert scenes and Indians doing stuff, worriers, and chiefs too.
His mother lives nearby in one of the oldest homes around. Heather is her name, and she is the tribal Medicine Woman.
Their Indian word for Medicine Woman is “newe pohakanten.” The Medicine Woman is very important in Indian culture. She gives remedies made from herbs and roots. If someone is really sick, she summons help from spirits to cure them. She also uses the same herbs and roots to protect you from evil.
I join Chester outside and let Neewa off her chain so she can run around.
He looks around at the yard, “Look at all the holes.”
Neewa is running around. Chester picks up one of her toys and throws it. In no time she brings it back to him and drops it on the ground near his feet.
“Smart little pup you are,” Chester acknowledges as he throws her toy again.
Chester watches Neewa go down into one of her holes to get a soup bone to chew on.
Looking at me, then at Neewa again he exclaims, “She’s a coy dog, must be a coy dog, look at those holes. I never saw a dog dig holes like that. Those holes are more like coyote dens. Look at that, she can go down into it and turn around inside, just like a coyote.”
He laughs watching Neewa closely, “You got a coyote there.”
“Hey what’s that pink thing in her mouth?” He reaches out to grab it.
Before he can get close enough to touch Neewa’s tongue, I shout, “It’s her tongue!”
The words came out of my mouth quickly from all the practice I have had.
“That’s her tongue?” He pulls his hand back just in time.
“Oh, I thought she had something stuck in her mouth,” he says laughing and shaking his head in disbelief.
“Chester, the distemper almost killed her, it rotted out some of her teeth. Now her tongue falls out,” I explain.
He laughs and Neewa looks at us. She tilts her head with her tongue hanging out the side as if to say, “What are you guys laughing at?”
Chester knows all about dogs and coyotes. He hunts deer and all kinds of wild game. He’s lived here all his life, he must know what he is talking about.
I ask him, wanting to know what the future might hold for Neewa and me. “Will she get vicious and bite? Or run back to the desert to be wild again?”
Chester says with confidence, “You don’t have to worry about Neewa. She will be a good pet. You’d have known by now if she were mean or vicious.”
“Most coy dogs are friendly and make good pets. My aunt has a coy dog and it’s good with kids and other pets too.”
“Are you sure she isn’t going to go back to the desert?” I ask him again for reassurance, even if it might annoy him.
“No, I don’t think so, but anything can happen.”
Chester shrugs his shoulders and then adds, “I brought Neewa a charm for her collar. Can I put it on her?”
“Sure, what kind of charm is it?”
Chester laughs, “It will protect her from evil.”
I look at Chester with questions written all over my face, trying to judge his seriousness. My mind flashes back to Doctor Cuthberson’s office and the Indian Medicine Man’s mask and the artifacts. Then I think about the orbs we captured on video at his ranch the day we went to pick Neewa up.
My thoughts wander back to the dream I had about Neewa’s family watching over the murdered gambler found in the desert, next to the old Indian tomb.
Why does Chester want to protect Neewa from evil? He did say evil, didn’t he?
Finally Chester says laughing, “The evil dogcatcher, that’s who.” Now serious he continues, “I don’t want Neewa to be caught by him again. The charm is kind of a tribal ID tag, most of our dogs have them.”
“With this charm on her, the dogcatcher won’t take her back to the pound again. He will recognize the tag and know Neewa is an Indian dog. Look, it makes a sound too, so you can hear her far away now.”
He shakes the charm, “Jingle ding, jingle ding.”
I breathed a sigh of relief, “Oh cool, I don’t want her going back to the pound.”
I talk to Neewa, “Did you hear that Neewa? You’re officially an Indian dog.”
“Where did you get it?” I asked Chester, wondering about the charm.
“Doctor Cuthberson gave it to me for Neewa. He told me to tell you that Neewa doesn’t have to come back for her follow-up. But she should wear the charm so she doesn’t go back to the pound.”
Chester pulls a painting from his car. “John, I almost forgot why I came here. This painting is for you and your family.”
Forgetting about the charm, ghosts, evil, orbs, the dog catcher, Doctor Cuthberson, and Indian Spirits, I look at Dad.
Dad looks at Chester, then at the painting, and back again at Chester.
Dad is noticeably surprised and shocked.
It is a beautiful painting. Its a black and white desert landscape done in acrylic paint.
Dad does not know what to say as he blurts out, “Chester, thank you, how can I ever repay you?”
“I want you and your family to have this painting. I don’t want you to forget us when you move away. We will not forget.”
Chester knew that most government workers move away after about a year. They go back home where they came from.
He adds, “John, Christina, I got to go, see you guys.”
I say, “Good-bye Chester, thanks for the charm.”
Chester replies, “Indians don’t say good-bye. The word good-bye is not in our language so there is no good-bye for Indians. We believe that when we die, we pass into the next life. We all see each other in the afterlife, the Spirit World, no need to say good-bye.”
He gets into the car and says to Dad, “Oh you have to bring your kids over to my Mother’s.”
Dad replies, “Sounds like fun, my kids know your sister, Diane.”
Chester adds, “Mom wants to meet all of you, Neewa too. She has some herbs to give you.”
“See you guys,” Chester waves and drives off.