Heart Of A Native by Tom St. Dennis

Author:Tom St. Dennis [Dennis, Tom St.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781462069132
Publisher: iUniverse
Published: 2012-01-05T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

A New Perspective

What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night. It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset.

—Crowfoot, Blackfeet (1826–1890)

It had been a restless night. Even though he tried to take inspiration from his deceased parents’ approach to life and felt more trusting that his future would work out well, concern for his grandfather’s health haunted Jack, robbing him of much sleep.

As Jack turned his car onto River Street to meet Ed, he suspected that although Ed had sounded chipper on the phone yesterday, something had to be wrong. Ed was practical and respectful. He would never set up a meeting without a reason.

It was one minute after seven, and Jack could see Ed’s truck already parked in front of the coffee shop. Ed’s fat, mongrel dog was sitting upright in the driver’s seat, eyeing Jack as he arrived. He pulled up behind Ed’s truck, put the car in park, took the keys, and went in to meet him.

Ed was seated at a small table near the back of the long, narrow, wooden-floored shop. His upper torso was dimly lit by the overhead lights. He had his elbows on the table and was holding his coffee cup in both hands, staring at it. Seeing Jack, he waved at him to get a coffee at the counter and join him. The place hearkened back to an older time with its twenty-five-foot-high stamped tin ceilings and creaky plank flooring, but it felt comfortable.

The Native American girl who waited on Jack made polite conversation as she poured him a coffee. When Jack tried to pay her, she pointed toward Ed, saying he had already paid. She looked Jack in the face and said, “You’re very lucky to have him as a grandfather. We all love him!” Jack was grateful for the unsolicited comment and tipped her generously before walking back to sit down with Ed.

“Aanii, Jack,” said Ed cheerfully. “How did you sleep?”

“Terrible, Grandfather. I was worried about you all night,” Jack responded.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to worry you,” Ed said, “but I thought it would be better for us to meet here, face to face.”

Ed asked Jack about his meeting at the airport, how Lisa was doing, and made other small talk before saying, “Jacky, my doctor told me I have a particularly aggressive form of cancer that’s incurable. After consulting with another physician, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s time for me to get my affairs in order as it looks like I am going to walk on very shortly.

“I’ve lived an incredibly interesting life and have no regrets, so I am not sad and want no sorrow from you. I wanted to tell you first because the doctor says my health is going to deteriorate very quickly, and I don’t know what to do with all my customers who are scheduled over the next three months.

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