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Chapter 26

Nikki was not a girl to waste time either. She cornered Norma before Norma slipped off to bed and asked her “Who was that guy at The Taverne tonight?”

“Donald works at the quarry.”

“I know that, Jesus, am I that stupid?”

“Why are you interested in that guy?”

“Why should I tell you that if you’re not gonna tell me anything about him, huh?”

“Listen, Nikki, to be interested in one of our employees is about as soap opera-ish as you can get! What do you want me to say?”

“I want you to say that he lives blah blah blah and he is blah blah blah old he has no girlfriend, and on and on. To me he looked like the kind of guy who could tear down the quarry with his bare hands. t gave me a freakin shiver, that’s what.”

“Nikki, you don’t need my help, that’s for sure. And you ain’t gettin it. OK, sweetie?”

“Fuck you, Aunt Norma! You can be too cruel.”

“Yeah, well, it’s cruel to be kind. I heard that in a song the other day. The guy was right. You want Donald DuBois, who, by the way, must be ten years older than you, you go right ahead. Don’t come crying on my shoulder, though. Don’t make me say ‘I told ya so,’ either. I’m not helping you. Get it?”

Nikki ran to her bedroom door and slammed it behind her.

Jill shot up in bed startled by the noise. She thought she heard a shit storm. She chuckled to herself and made herself sleep.

“I need to talk to Norma tomorrow” was the last thing her mind said that night.

Chapter 27

“Norma, what was all that commotion last night?” Jill casually asked Norma. Jill was the first of the girls down to breakfast the next morning.

“Nikki has the hots for that Donald guy that works at the quarry. Can you believe that?”

“Does that make you angry?”

“Yes, Jill, it does. I think that both of you are goin nuts. It’s like your pants are on fire, and on fire for the two dopiest guys in the universe. Get it?”

“The only part I don’t get, Norma, is the ‘dopiest guys in the universe’ part. Darnell is somebody special. That’s what I think. And Donald has the kind of solidity that a girl like Nikki hungers for. You don’t seem to know her very well, you know.”

“Jill, listen, you are still young, and the crap that I am hearing right now from you will only complicate your life beyond all reason. You’re sounding pretty way out there is all I can say.”

“Well, Norma, maybe this is one of those times when you shouldn’t say anything at all. Nikki and I are definitely worldly enough to know what it is that makes our hearts melt, to use a way out phrase.”

“Jesus, Jill…”

“Another thing, Norma. My worldliness tells me that there is something about me that you know and aren’t telling me. You can’t hide it sometimes, and I see it. What’s up?”

“Whatta you mean?”

Norma now lowered her head a little and hid her eyes. But with force and utter convincingness she said “Jill, it’s just that both of you feel like daughters to me, and I care about both of you. Probably you feel that, that’s all.”

Jill was smart enough to take an evasion at face value and let the subject drop. But even more now she was convinced that there was something Norma was keeping from her. The Grandmother had taught her that all is revealed in time that was meant to be revealed by The Great Mysterious. All other things were The Great Mysterious’s own and were revealed when The Great Mystery was revealed in The Other Realm. Sometimes Jill was ecstatic about having listened to the old ones. The stuff they had told her was right on the money.

The ride back to Pittsburgh was a bit tense. Jill’s mother was glad Jill was home. Jill ran to her room later and put some tobacco on her rock and asked for guidance because she was ready to roll. Ready to go home.

Chapter 28

The arrowhead plant from Darnell caught Norma’s attention quickly. It developed a lushness and health that was remarkable and unmistakable the next day. After a week even Norma’s cynicism could not deny that something unusual had happened to the plant.

Norma took a cutting from the plant and potted it. The plant from the cutting did not do nearly so well. After careful observation Norma decided that she would try to finagle another plant from Darnell.

The potted plant that he gave her he called a wild sunflower. With Norma’s attentiveness the same thing occurred with that plant. The health and vitality of the plant was almost unbelievable.

Norma’s intractableness forced her to find at all costs what caused these plants to have such life. She found no reasons and eventually gave up in frustration.

“What’s up with these freakin plants?” she asked herself again and again.

Norma started some marigold from seed for planting in the autumn. She wore cotton garden gloves whenever she worked with her plants. A marigold seed stuck to her glove and landed in the arrowhead plant’s soil when she watered it after planting the seeds.

When she watered the plant later in the week an enormous young marigold plant stood glowingly in the arrowhead’s pot.

“It’s the freakin soil!” whispered Norma.

Chapter 29

Darnell sifted the soil and planted the plants. He worked fixing things day to day. He was happy and excited. He was so slow that he didn’t worry about Jill and what he thought she was going to do. Something told him that to worry was utter foolishness, that to question the way things happened was goofy. So he didn’t.

One morning Mrs. Gruber actually came to his house and sat down and talked with him for a long while. In the end she asked him if he would be kind enough to give her one of his potted plants. Darnell knew how much she loved plants from all the plants that she had in the house at the estate. Darnell loved being able to be kind. He gave Mrs. Gruber the nicest wild sunflower he had. He was very proud that she asked him for one.

Later the same day that Mrs. Gruber stopped by Donald stopped by. Donald looked different to Darnell but Darnell couldn’t tell exactly what it was that was different. Well he looked cleaner than he usually did. But it was more than just being cleaner. Cleaner was good enough though.

Donald sat down on the porch with Darnell and they looked over the yard at the wide valley beyond. There was definitely something on Donald’s mind. Darnell just waited and talked about whatever there was to talk about.

“I’m having fun working on the dirt pile, Donald. I feel really good when I’m doing it” Darnell said.

“You do tend to do weird shit, Darnell. It’s cool, though. Ya really have made it look different. Find any strange looking stuff like that banner stone?”

“Donald, I didn’t find anything else like that, that’s all I can say. Why you asking?”

“No reason. Banner stones are rare to find nowadays, that’s all. I… hey, listen, buddy-o, you ever feel strange or different or fucked up sometimes, like when you’re diggin around this dirt pile? Huh?”

“I just said that I feel good when I’m workin on it.”

“Seriously, man, ya never had a big shiver or nothing? Ya never saw any weird shit in your brain?”

“I really can’t say I have. Jesus, what do you mean?”

“Darnell, buddy, you are one different kind of dude. I know when I say that that you won’t have a clue about what I mean. And that’s OK except I think you know more than me somehow. It’s a strange thing that you have going… am I making any sense?”

“Well, maybe, Donald. I’ve had some things in my brain, especially since Leesa passed away. Something always keeps my brain steady, though. And, when I’m workin on the dirt pile, it’s the steadiest. Does that make any sense?”

“Darnell, do ya actually know anything about me other than I came her to college from somewhere else? Do ya know where I came from or anything like that cause I don’t remember ya askin me?”

“Yeah, I guess I know some stuff. I think I did ask ya once, but you were really drunk. You said you came from the Happy Hunting Grounds… and I had no idea what you were talking about. But, you rambled on for a long time, talking about The Hills, that’s what you called it-The Hills. You talked about a place called Pine Ridge, I think. Your were talking real sloppy, and I was real tired. I haven’t much of a clear recall of it now.”

“It never occurred to you, maybe, that I was an Injun, did it?”

“Well, it’s plain to see that you are one. Jesus, Donald, I’m not blind.”

“And it never interested you beyond that point, Darnell?”

“Sure it did. I thought it was very cool, very cool. But, you didn’t ever talk about it so I didn’t either.”

“Did you ever wonder why I was always willin to hang around with you. We really are not too much alike ya know.”

“I guess I just thought were my friend, Donald. We were just different kinds, that’s all.”

“That’s fuckin great, Darnell. You are something else!”

“Man, watch your language, Donald. Sometimes the f-word gets to me.”

“Sorry, D… you have to excuse me… I have rough ways, I know. I need to tell ya some stuff. Things are makin me bring stuff to a head. So, I’m gonna.”

“OK, Donald. Don’t get yourself upset, though. It’s not worth that.”

“You never know, Darnell, until you get upset, do you?”

“No, I guess not. But, when you drink, anymore, I get this pain in my heart about it. I don’t want to see you go getting upset and then getting really messed up. OK?”

“Don’t worry bout that, Darnell. I’m a big boy. I can handle that.”

“K, Donald.”

“Well, let’s see… something brought me back here. Back East. When you’re young where I grew up some of the old timers would not be fucked up all the time and would tell you the old stuff.”

“There was old Deer Horns. I think he just acted drunk so others would let him be. He would take me aside a lot. He took me into The Hills and we would fast and pray and sweat in the lodge. He took me back and taught me. And he gave me the money to come east to college. He thought that this college with its art and anthropology departments would be a good place to go. And his money could cover it.

“Deer Horns said that we, us native americans, were a lonely people in the modern world. He said that there were so many lonely ones that it could not be counted. He said that nobody knew what to do, but that he knew things would change.

“Then, one time, I had this vision of a young man like me who was all by himself and yet was surrounded by spirits, all kinds of animal spirits and warrior spirits. But, he was not one of the old ones. He was someplace I didn’t recognize and that place was beautiful but weird, like Deer Horns said, ‘lonely in the modern world’.

“I told Deer Horns what the vision was and described the place as best I could and then he sent me to college here. And then I met you. But I am weak, and you got sick of me being drunk and stoned all the time… I couldn’t blame you. I am the kind of person who wastes a lot of time. But you seemed worse to me because you never asked me any questions. You just treated me like a brother and that was that. You say friend, but I say brother. There never seemed a time to talk about my vision or what I know. I guess I became lonely like you, like the you I saw in my vision. And then Leesa passing over, and everything. It was a harsh trip. You didn’t take it so hard, though. I don’t know why you are so tough. Sometimes I think you’re just a dumb shit. I know inside that is not the truth, though…”

Darnell had not ever heard Donald talk this much. He was mystified.

“Anyway,” Donald said “I think things are changing. I feel differently since the other night. I just want you to know that I am your brother, and I will do my best to be around for you. I sorta got a better view of things all of a sudden. I hope you can let some of the bad stuff of my past behavior slide. OK?”

“Change is the best thing we can do.”

Chapter 30

Mrs. Gruber kept coming back to Darnell’s place. She was always very nice to him. She would always ask Darnell for a little bit of the dirt before she left. She would say that she needed a pot full for her seedling, or something like that. She knew she could market the stuff. She said it was lucky soil.

Norma’s wheels were turning. No matter what she did even if she’d ignore the plants in Darnell’s dirt the soil seemed to work magic. She knew she could market the stuff. It would make her famous, rich, respected.

Darnell, on the other hand, kept up at it that summer, just sifting and enjoying his work.

In late August the phone rang.

Darnell answered “Hi, there.” He disliked saying hello for some reason.

“Spear, it’s me,” Jill said. “Hi!”

“Heh, River, good to hear your voice. What’s up?”

“I’m in Millersville. Do you know where that is?”

“Yes, I do, River.”

“Would you please come and get me?”

“Sure, if you want me to. Right now?”

“Yes, goofus, right now.”

“Everything OK?”

“Just get your wrecked-up truck over here, OK? Yes, things are very good.”

And that was how Jill came home. Sparky didn’t raise his head from his throw rug when they came in. He was very weak. Jill kissed Sparky’s forehead and he did a weak rendition of his Kissinger. It was Jill’s twenty first birthday. She took off her t-shirt in the kitchen and threw it at Darnell’s head. She ran around the table in her cut offs and tackled Darnell to the floor.

“First we kiss and make love like monkeys. And then we’ll get a cake at the IGA, and blow out the candles, and then I’ll feed you. How does that sound, Spearman?”

“Jesus, River…”

Their kiss seemed to never end. Darnell’s mind went into another place. As he looked into River’s eyes and their bodies moved like otters in slow tepid creek water, colors took control over his thoughts and feelings: the deep azure and orange of a low moisture sunrise. And then they took flight-two spiraling eagles higher than mountains. They looked down onto the rising full moon. It was a soft fragrant peach. They disappeared within its immeasurable limits.

Later Darnell wrote this in the journal:

O, DARLING, MY HEART SAYS
I LEAN INTO YOUR WANTING KISS
AND FLOAT AND GLIDE LIKE SOME
BIRD AMONG TREES ON A HILLSIDE

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Dirt
Continues in the May Issue of CommonSense 2