FLYING LIKE A BIRD By: Nancy Boat
“Lynda, come over here and tell me why you’re
crying?” The old woman called out
in a surprisingly strong voice, for someone who looked every one of the eighty
nine years that she had lived.”
“Oh, Nana, the young girl said between hiccoughs, Jimmy
said no one would ever want to kiss me,” he said my hair is too red, and my
freckles make me look spotty.”
Nana, do you remember the first time you were ever kissed? You told me your hair used to be red
just like mine, I bet no one ever said you were spotty, and I bet you didn’t
have a bratty brother like mine.
The old woman chuckled to herself as she pulled her great,
great grandchild down on the porch swing next to her and gave her a gentle
hug. Looking out over the little
garden in her granddaughter’s back yard Nana sighed as she related the memories
of her first kiss.
“Child, my fondest memories as a young girl were of
running up to the top of the grassy hill behind my folks old farmhouse and
lying on my back, watching the clouds morph into castles, and sailing ships,
watching birds soar overhead, and bees and other insects flit and buzz around
me, easily moving from place to place.
Oh, it would be so wonderful to soar like the hawks, to join those
clouds, or to travel from flower to flower like those bees.
When I was about sixteen
there was a great hubbub in the little town where we traveled to picked up feed
for our livestock and necessities for us.
A crop duster/stunt pilot was coming to town, he was actually called a
barnstormer in those days, and the whole community was invited to the 25 acre
field outside of town to see this amazing flying machine and watch someone who
could actually do what I had only dreamed about.
Wanting to make sure I could
obtain the best spot to observe this fantastic event, I conspired with my best
friend Delores and obtained permission to spend the night with her as long as I
finished my chores around the house first. Our plan was to sneak out without her parent’s knowledge
very early in the morning to beat the other townspeople to the flying field.
We were up and on our way so
early that morning that the roosters hadn’t even begun crowing. One of the neighborhood dogs started
barking and howling as we snuck by, but we soon ran out of his field of vision
and continued running until we reached the old barn at the end of the 25 acre
field. Inside was the most
wonderful sight I had ever beheld.
Before me stood a magnificent airplane, wings, one above the other,
spread out like a bird when he soars, two seats, one in front for a passenger
and one behind for the barnstormer, not enclosed like the airplanes today, and
a propeller in front carved out of the most beautiful wood.
“What are you two doing
here?” boomed a deep male voice, making both of us jump, although I’m proud to
say, only Delores squealed. There
staring at us by the light of his lantern were the bluest eyes I’d ever seen.
“I had to come and see for
myself your wonderful flying machine,” I said. “Soaring like a hawk has always been my most cherished
dream.” Grinning with a smile that would melt butter, the young man said, “then
you’re in luck Red, I’ll take you up with me today.”
“I don’t think you should do
this,” Delores whispered, but I put my arm around her and made her promise she
wouldn’t tell a soul until I was back down on the ground.
It wasn’t easy stuffing my
hair into the leather helmet he made me put on, and then he strapped me into
the front of his amazing machine and off we went.
By that time most of the
townsfolk, and many of the nearby farmers and their families, including my
parents and brothers, had crowded around the rim of the field to watch the
spectacle that was to take place.
After pushing the plane out
of the barn and onto the packed ground of the field, the young man pulled down
on the beautiful wooden propeller until it started spinning at an amazing rate,
he then ran back and jumped into the seat behind me. A boy from town pulled a wooden block out from in front of the wheels, and off we went.
We started rolling faster and
faster and in the blink of an eye we were off of the ground, heading skyward up
over the tops of the trees, soaring like the hawks and crows that took off
around us into the air in noisy surprise.
Up higher and higher, through one of those puffy white clouds that
looked so much like a castle.
After I opened my eyes, which
I’m ashamed to admit I had squeezed shut during our some of our ascent, I
couldn’t believe the wonderful sights above, around, and most of all below
me. There were people waving at us
from the ground, looking much like the tin soldiers that my brothers used to
play with, except these tin soldiers were moving about. The cows in the O’Malley’s field
started running toward their barn, I expect they gave sour milk that evening,
and you could almost imagine the town dogs growling and barking.
We did figure eights in the
sky, and at one point that young man scared me witless, by doing a summersault
right there in the middle of the sky.
Oh, this was such an amazing
day, a day I would never forget, in more ways than one.
After a few bumps and stomach
turning ups and downs, up and down, we headed back to the rutted field and we
were once again on solid ground where we stopped. The young man jumped down out of his seat and reached up to
help me down from the cozy nest I had been strapped into. He reached up and pulled the leather
helmet off of my head, pulling a few hairs out in the process I’m sure. He then looked me square in the face,
said something about my having the greenest eyes he’d ever seen, and kissed me
right on the lips.
That was the day I was able
to soar with the hawks, was kissed by a blue-eyed young man, and was whipped
with a switch when my parents found out what I’d done.
Nana, what became of the
blue-eyed young man?
Oh, he later became your
great grandfather, but that’s another story for another time.
Lynda, you have a few years
yet until you will be kissed, after all you’re only seven, but I can guarantee
the time will come, and your red hair will be like a crown for you, and your
“spots” won’t even be noticed, they just add to your beauty, and oh my, those
green eyes of yours!
Nana, tell me more, when did
you and Oompa get married, did you get switched because he kissed you? Oh no child, I was switched for lying
to my parents, in fact Lynda was in trouble with her parents too. I learned a lesson that day and was
never switched again, although to be fair, I probably should have been.
I didn’t meet with Oompa
again until four years later when I was traveling in Morroco, doing what folks
called a “Grand Tour” after graduating from Normal School with a degree in
teaching. My maiden aunt Minta
(everyone called her Minnie) was traveling with me, we had been in Europe for
most of the summer when an opportunity arose to board a touring ship that
sailed up the Nile River. Oh, the
exotic sights we saw, nomads on camels watching us from the river shore, the
giant pyramids and the Spynx with his nose broken off. We even were able to climb to the top
of one of those pyramids, it took us hours to reach the top, but the view of
Egypt was worth every minute.
Anyway, after a trip to the
Rock of Gibralter we crossed over into Morocco, suddenly we were in a totally
different world. Not at all like
Gibralter where we felt we were setting in a tea room in England. The smell of exotic spices filled our
noses, and colorful bolts of cloth were exhibited at the sides of the
parthways.
The hotel where we stayed for
a month had been a former harem, with clay and rock walls that looked
totally unassuming from the outside but, when you entered by a tall wooden
door, you were suddenly in another world where there were colorful flowers everywhere,
and fountains with water splashing and tinkling a wonderful lilting song, tiles
of blue and green, and windows low enough to see out of if you were on tiptoe,
but high enough so no one could see inside.
One day, Minnie said she just
didn’t feel up to going out to explore, I suspect she had a bug from some of
the spicy food we’d eaten the night before, so she suggested that I should stay
in a rest also. Well, once again I
contrived to sneak out without her knowledge and walked the winding roads into
the Casbah. I had taken a
precaution of putting on a local robe striped red and camel color, oh red is
such a horrible color on redheads, remember that dear, and pulled a cloth over
my face so I wouldn’t be too obviously a white woman alone among all of these
men selling their wares, the native women who were walking around were there in
groups and always seemed to have an escort with them.
As I stopped in shop after
shop to look at the treasures available for sale I realized someone had
followed me along my path, hiding just outside of the open doors of shops,
crouching behind carts loaded with fruits and vegetables. Maybe I should re-consider being here
in the Casbah by myself and return to the harem hotel. As I turned around to retrace my steps
I realized I didn’t know the way back, I had taken too many twists and turns,
and followed too many exotic looking treasures on my little solo adventure.
Spinning around and around I
was suddenly grabbed from behind and pulled roughly into a shadowy alleyway, a
place just wide enough for a man or a donkey to walk down, there was a stream
of who knows what trickliing down what looked like a little culvert in the
middle of the alleyway. I had been
warned many times during my stay here of just this dire problem, young women
who went into the Casbah alone were often abducted and sent away to be a part
of someone’s harem, of course I thought I was immune to this happening to
me. Even though fear flashed
through me all I could think of was how mad Aunt Minnie was going to be at
me. Once again I had gotten myself
into a jam by lying, and I didn’t know if I was going to be able to get out of
it this time.
Trying to kick with the long
robes impeding my legs and feet was useless, I flailed out with my arms, only
to be hit in the side of the head.
Screaming was out of the question as a dirty hand was held over my
mouth, I couldn’t even open my mouth wide enough to bite him. Just as I felt myself going faint from
lack of breath the arms that held me were jerked away. As I fell to the ground I caught a
glimpse of the bluest eyes. No,
this couldn’t be, I thought, here was the same man who took me soaring with the
hawks, only he wasn’t a young man any longer, he was just perfect. At that thought I fainted.
"Red, wake up, you’re safe
now, wake up", a voice that sounded older, yet still sounded the same called out
to me. I was being held in the
arms of the man who had given me my first kiss, and here he was in the Casbah, how could this possibly be?
"I thought I recognized you
and your red hair kept slipping out of your scarf, and I could never forget
those green eyes. I was here buying supplies for my excursion into the
desert. Whatever possessed you to
walk around here alone? If I
hadn’t come along when I did you would be long gone."
"I’m perfectly fine", I huffed,
although truth be told I was anything but fine. I shuddered when I watched the dirty robed man run around a
curve in the alleyway where my rescuer found me.
"You’re a little fibber" he
said, "I’m in a hurry if I’m to meet my caravan into the desert, what am I going
to do with you?"
"Please, just take me back to my
Aunt Minnie" I replied, trying really hard not to show him my fear, although I’m
sure he saw the tears in my eyes.
"I don’t even know your name
even though you were my first kiss, and the only time I ever soared with the eagles,
and now you’ve saved me from heaven know what, you don't have to sound so short with me you know."
"I don’t know your name
either, since we’re on such good terms I suppose you should know I’m called
Jordon, named by my folks after the Jordon River, and I'm not being short with you, you just scared me, and I am in a hurry."
" I’m Clarise" I replied, and by the way thanks for saving
me, I really am thankful."
"You’re quite welcome, now,
let’s get you back to your Aunt Minnie, but first, I need to do this one thing", and he
bent down and kissed me once again, but this time the kiss was magical, I felt
it all the way to my toes.
"Grandma, is that when you and
Oompa got married?"
"No my dear, that story is for yet another time. I’m afraid Jordon
deposited me back at the Harem Hotel into the angry care of my Aunt Minnie,
with a quick whisper in my ear not to get into trouble again, and off he went,
not to be seen for quite a while."
"I think this trip was just
too much for Aunt Minnie, because she never asked me to travel with her again."
"But, Nana, I can’t wait for
another story, I need to know when you were kissed again, and when you met
Oompa again?"
"Well, my child, four years
later I was asked to take a teaching assignment in an old Spanish town called
Santa Fe, in what at that time was the Territory of New Mexico. My folks weren’t too happy to have me
go off to such a “wild” place, but I was certainly excited to be off on another
adventure, my life had been just too tame for my taste in the years after my
Grand Tour."
"Santa Fe looked much like the
small towns in Spain that I had visited with my Aunt Minnie. The houses were built out of a type of
clay called adobe, their roofs were flat, and the only building with a peaked
roof was the Cathedral that the Catholic Bishop Lamy had built just off of the
plaza."
"As I stepped off of the train
into the horse and wagon that was waiting for me, an old gentleman with grizzled hands and wearing
something called a serape told me in broken English that he would take me to
the little schoolhouse and small adobe cabin that would be my home for the next
year. As we road the dirt roads
into my new town I could smell the bonfires of pinion wood burning all over the
area, the fires were called faralitos or (little fires), and around the eaves
of every adobe house were beautiful red garlands made of chiles that hung one
after another, being dried for use in the winter. What an exotic and wonderful sight, Santa Fe was surrounded
by snow topped mountains with bright Aspen trees covering the lower slopes
looking much like golden frosting dripping off of a birthday cake.
I knew I would have a
wonderful adventure and couldn’t wait to start teaching the children of this
amazing part of the country.
To be continued:
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