Sky Queen Page 15

  Neal leaned in and gazed at Katherine. “Tell me.”

  Katherine sat up straight and tilted her chin. “When you look at me, you see a tall blonde woman, thanks to my father’s side. I’m German from him. But on my mother’s side, I’m French Canadian and Chippewa Native American. I hope you can understand it, but that part of me is speaking out with signs and warnings.”

  Katherine sensed Neal’s understanding. He gave her a welcoming ear. She reached inside her T-shirt and pulled out her Thunderbird amulet. “As you know, this necklace has a special meaning for me. My great-grandmother saved it for me. She was from the Chippewa tribe.” Katherine cleared her throat. “There’s so much more to tell you. I’m confusing you. You wanted to know what happened with that stalker.” Katherine explained that the stalker was really a government agent who ordered Katherine to return the eagle feather. She gave Neal the stellar highpoints of her reasons that convinced the agent that she should keep the feather.

  After she relayed the details of the feather’s appearance, Neal rubbed his chin. “Okay. All the eagle feather stuff is where my story requires you to suspend judgment. I did not steal the eagle feather. It came to me, and I still have it.”

  “You mean on a magic carpet?” Neal laughed.

  “You’re a lawyer in training and a logical thinker. I ask you to open your mind to another realm where magical and mystical things are real, maybe more real than your logic.”

  Neal nodded. “Okay. I’ll try, but I’m not really into that sort of stuff.”

  “These are my particular Chippewa ways I carry with me. I hope you don’t think I’m weird.”

  Neal turned to Katherine, placed his hands on her shoulders, and leaned close enough to touch her nose. “You’re the most wonderful woman I’ve met. You have more to teach me. Stuff I never studied in my world.”

  Her Native American blood flowed in her veins and guided her forward.

  “Neal, the fact that an eagle feather landed in my hands at the Chicago Public Library made my Native American part real. It might be magical and mystical. I must take care of this sacred possession, but I’m not sure what to do.” Katherine stared into Neal’s eyes, and a light flashed from his eyes to hers like a lightning bolt.

  Neal held her hands in his. “You have the answer, don’t you?”

  Katherine sprang from the bench and pulled Neal up to kiss him. “Yes! Thank you. I have a solution and action plan for the eagle feather.”

  Neal smiled and kissed her again. “Whatever. I’ll take your kisses for now. But don’t keep me in suspense about your mysterious plan.”

  29

  “YOU’D MAKE AN EXCELLENT Rudolph the Reindeer,” Neal said, laughing.

  “What do you mean?” Katherine asked.

  Neal took his napkin and wiped the tomato sauce from Katherine’s nose. “I’m sorry, but it was too funny. I couldn’t resist the fun. You’re cute whatever you wear.”

  Katherine picked up another piece of the Numero Uno pizza and chewed for a long time. She gave Neal a fake scowl.

  “I’m sorry,” Neal said. “I just discovered the sensitive side of you.”

  Katherine put her fork down and smiled a wide-mouthed grin. “And don’t forget it!” She took her fork to a piece of pizza with pepperoni, onion, mushroom, sausage, and pepper. “I forgive you only because this super dish pizza is the ultimate. Thanks for bringing me here.”

  “Yeah, this is the only place for pizza. I come here only on special occasions.”

  “Special occasions?”

  “Yep. Our visit to the zoo, and you sharing so much with me. Isn’t that worth celebrating?” He leaned closer and smiled. “And the biggest thing,” he paused and lifted his hands to make finger quotes. “You decided how to solve the ‘eagle feather gift’.”

  Katherine folded her arms across her chest and grumbled. “You missed the whole point. To me, a Native American, receiving an eagle feather is the highest honor, and it’s only the way it came to me.”

  Neal coughed. “Oh, Katherine, me and my clumsy mouth. You and your situation did impact me on many levels. I’m too much of a pragmatist since I can’t understand mystical things like magical eagle feathers. Tell me, what’s your decision about the eagle feather?”

  “Before we went to the zoo, my mind was a mess. And I was terrified. I pondered and pondered the right way to return an eagle feather, especially a sacred eagle feather that I never took. Even though the Fed’s undercover agent said I’m innocent, he warned me to be careful with the gift and not break the law. I had a scary experience with my supposed breaking of the law. I don’t want to get into that mess again.”

  “Yeah, you even got Charlotte and me in a steam pot of worry.”

  “And I realize that. My situation did affect others, and I don’t want to have that happen again. The idea came to me when I looked in your eyes. Remember, I’m half through my major in anthropology from Beloit College?”

  “Do you plan to escape to academia and finish your degree?”

  Katherine’s eyes flashed with anger. “You’re making fun of me. I devised a real plan.” She coughed. “I’ll take the feather to my Beloit College advisor. Since she’s a mystical thinker with extensive knowledge of Native American culture, she’ll understand my situation.”

  “Even if your professor swallows your story and takes the feather, won’t she have the same possession problem?”

  “When an Indian receives a feather, it’s an individual honor. It can’t be put away; it must be on display. My professor’s focus is Native North American people and their culture. The feather can be displayed in an exhibit.”

  “That’s brilliant, but why are you still in school?”

  “I completed two years at Beloit and started to wonder where I could find a job after spending all my dad’s money on tuition. After all, women are raised to be nurses, teachers, and stewardesses. Then they’re told to get married and stay home and raise kids. But I’m an adventurer. I loved anthropology; I wanted to understand humanity.” Katherine paused, cleared her throat. “Women are waking up. I’m reading Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique; she’s my guru and says things that I already thought, like ‘Women who “adjust” as housewives, who grow up wanting to be “just a housewife,” are in as much danger as the millions who walked to their own death in the concentration camps … they are suffering a slow death of mind and spirit.’”

  Neal interrupted. “Being a stewardess is a great place to study men.” He chuckled. “I mean mankind. And you can be a modern-day spinster and not be a victim of the living death of marriage.”

  Should I say that love and marriage work if there’s freedom to let a woman be her own person? No, I’ll give him a challenge. “I’ve learned more than you know, but I won’t bother telling you now. I’m going to keep working on my degree. I have been fortunate to have an understanding faculty who let me take two years off to complete one open course. Now I’ll have to figure out how to finish my degree.” Katherine thumped her fingers on the table and smiled. “Zap. Like Eureka, I received a plan. It’s been tumbling around in my head. I’m going to talk with my professor about writing a paper, which she made me promise that I would finish when I left to be a stewardess.”

  Neal stared at Katherine “Hey, wait a minute. You left Beloit College two years ago. You must be a genius for her to give that must leeway. What’s the topic? Are you going to leave the high-flying glamor of being a stewardess and return to the active student life?”

  Katherine gave him a soft kick to the shin. “Of course not, but there’s something exciting peeking around the corner waiting for me.”

  Neal took a gulp of his draft. “Do you have the right man in mind?”

  “Not a man but helping mankind! Someday, women will run the world.”

  Neal reached over and touched Katherine’s hand. “And I believe you are the woman for the job. I hope to be around to see it.”

  Katherine turned her head and fluttered her eye
lashes. “Well, if you prove worthy, you may be the fortunate person to see me make history.”

  Neal lifted his beer mug to click Katherine’s mug. “Here’s to Katherine Roebling conquering and saving the world.”

  “You’re on,” Katherine said with a thumbs-up. “I’m going up to Beloit tomorrow. How about coming with me? You can explore the campus—a seems like a traditional New England university—and the Indian mounds are extraordinary.”

  Neal rubbed his face. “Tomorrow. I have my Moot Court oral argument. It’s a big show, and the last time we law students can impress the faculty. For sure, the Indian mounds are worth a future trip up there with you.”

  “I’d like that. We both have important things for tomorrow. We’d better head home.”

  When they left the restaurant, a light breeze floated around them. The breeze stopped, and a long black crow feather drifted and landed at Katherine’s feet.

  She picked it up and smiled at Neal. “This will give you good luck and protection. Would you like this one?”

  30

  BACK IN HER APARTMENT, Katherine danced from room to room. During her visit to deliver the eagle feather to Beloit College, Katherine had found direction for her unfinished assignment. Katherine turned the pages of Cyrus Thomas’ book, Wisconsin Mounds.

  She heard an echo from her friends that called her the Turtle Mounds lady. When she’d walked around campus, she’d imagined what Roy Chapman Andrews, the famous Beloit College explorer and adventurer, thought as he wandered around the campus. Did he imagine becoming a famous anthropologist and explorer? Katherine couldn’t remember what she’d thought. She did know that those mounds nestled around the campus beckoned her to visit them. Is this my inspiration?

  Or was it the photo of Roy Chapman Andrews adorning her advisor’s office wall? His quote posted under his photo stirred Katherine’s mind. Were these words entwined with her dreams? “I wanted to go everywhere. I would have started on a day’s notice for the North Pole or the South, to the jungle or the desert. It made not the slightest difference to me.”

  At the start of her stewardess career, when the airline reserve desk supervisor called her to takes trips to Reno and Omaha, she’d felt like an adventurer. Now her adventurer/ explorer spirit propelled her on an unknown path. I can’t wait.

  Her chest felt like a giant balloon filled with excitement. The air to float her came when her professor glowed about Katherine’s notes about Native American burial mounds and the various theories of their origin, including the Lost Tribes of Israel theory. Katherine rubbed her brow and shrugged. She could breathe easy now that the eagle feather had a home at the Logan Anthropology Museum. She couldn’t wait to bring Neal to see it.

  The mysterious conveyance to her of the eagle feather, what did it mean? Katherine looked at the ceiling. I’m not that special. What does Soaring Eagle want from me? I’m a regular American girl with a drop of Chippewa blood. What about my German blood? What about my French blood? All these streams flow through my body. Scrutinizing the veins on her hand puzzled her. Is one race’s blood different than another’s? No. The Native American part shouted out for attention. Everyone appreciates white Caucasians, but the Native American inside her offered much to share with the world.

  With her index finger in mid-air ready to dial Neal’s number, the phone yelled out. Katherine jerked and lifted the receiver. “Oh, Neal. You beat me to it.”

  “Neal? I’m your mother, dear. Who’s Neal?”

  Katherine sighed. “Oh. Hi, Mom. Neal’s a law student. Charlotte’s friend.” Katherine’s heart pounded in rhythm with her thoughts. Should I tell Mom that I went to Beloit College yesterday? Mom keeps a hidden crystal ball, so why hold back? “Hey, yesterday, I went to Beloit College to visit my anthropology advisor.”

  “Oh, did you enjoy it? Your father will applaud you. He wants you to continue your studies when you’re ready to quit flying and leave your glamorous life.”

  “I’ll finish the incomplete term paper. My advisor is super to keep me in good standing with my incomplete record for over two years. And she was pleased that I did take that one class a Northwestern.” Katherine paused and smiled. “And I got extra points when I told her that I liked Beloit College better.”

  “Katherine, you’re lucky to receive such support. That’s a sign. Keep learning. You can tell us all your plans when your father and I visit next week. I assume you’ll be home. We’ll be in town next Thursday through Sunday. You father serves on a Chicago Bar Association Committee for Native American civil rights. I’m thrilled that they awarded me an art booth at the Old Town Art Fair.”

  “Wow! The Old Town Art Fair is one of the highest rated juried art fairs in the country. You didn’t even tell me you’d applied. And yes, I’ll be home then. My next trip is a San Mateo layover, and I get home late Thursday night, but I’ll be home until Monday morning. What’s your hotel?”

  “The Drake, of course. Would your father stay anywhere else? Let’s plan dinner on Friday night. How about meeting us at six at the hotel?”

  “Super. See you next week. I love you.”

  “Love you too. Behave yourself.”

  The summer ritual began with Chicago’s high-rise cliff dwellers strolling on the warm sand as they savored the mild Lake Michigan waves. Katherine relished her strolls on Oak Street Beach’s sand. The hot sand soothed the soles of her feet to calm and ground her while she gazed at the lake’s waves, swelled in rhythm with earth’s heartbeat. The lake and beach were Katherine’s world, a magical place where she could put her thoughts on hold and lift them to the sky gods to arrange for her. Katherine scanned the luxury high-rise condos lining Lakeshore Drive and admired Lake Michigan’s undulating waves. Like a lighthouse, Oak Street’s sights beamed light on her course.

  Katherine wondered if she should go back to school full time. What would she do with a degree?

  She could work as a stewardess until she was thirty-two, but where did she go after that? I’ll find new horizons, since women are opening new doors. It’ll be exciting to see what’s ahead for me.

  A familiar voice shouted, “Katherine! Katherine!”

  She turned to see Neal approaching. “Hey, I called you, and you didn’t answer. I took a wild guess and came here. What happened at Beloit?”

  “Oh, Neal. My trip was so helpful and inspiring. Let’s grab a drink at McGuire’s.”

  Neal wrapped his arms around her. “Super idea. After my long day of legal beagle stuff, I need a drink.” He pulled Katherine to him and gave her a long kiss. “And I have something to ask you.”

  Katherine touched her throat. Her pulse thumped against her fingers, and her thoughts flipped in her mind like shuffling playing cards. What could he want to ask me? We’ve been friends for maybe a month. We’re not lovers.

  Katherine didn’t talk as the couple meandered by Hermes window and Marilyn Migin’s makeup shop. Katherine picked up her step and grabbed Neal’s hand. “Let’s get moving!”

  Neal squeezed Katherine’s hand as the couple laughed and strolled around Rush Street to the corner of Division Street. Chicago’s early summer sun blended with the humidity. After a walk on Oak Street Beach, her insides simmered like the Sahara Desert. Her tie-dyed T-shirt clung like a wet noodle. Visions of the refreshing draft beer shouted to her.

  Butch McGuire’s was whimsical and magical with its leprechaun-painted beer mugs and the variety of lucky creatures hanging above the bar. Neal ordered two cold draft beers and led them to an open table at the back of the bar.

  Katherine hopped on the soft cushion barstool and immediately guzzled five fingers of the golden brew. She licked her lips. “I’m sorry, I’m thirsty.”

  Neal snatched his mug and chugged half of his brew. “Yep, but I’m thirstier than you.” He laughed and continued. “So, my question. I’ve created a cool idea for us.” He paused and then leaned forward. “Katherine, would you move in with me? When you were out of town yesterday, I worried about you. What if tha
t federal agent guy had been a real thug stalking you? And then, my mind nagged me. What if someone followed you on the bus to Beloit? You are alone in that apartment, and you need a safe place to stay. Since I’m a gentleman with two bedrooms, I plan to give you your own room.” He stopped and looked down.

  Neal sat back, took another sip of his beer, and waited for Katherine’s answer.

  Katherine grimaced and gulped a long swig of Guinness. Her hands shook as she sat the chilled mug on the bar. She rubbed her chin and waited for her mind and heart to find a response for Neal.

  31

  KATHERINE’S CHIN RESTED ON her thumbs as she scanned her journal’s “What Next?” list:

  1. Neal. Give him an answer. Should I move in with him?

  2. Live alone or find a roommate?

  3. Spend another two years as a stewardess or have the guts to charge forward?

  4. If I charge forward, where will I go? What do I do? Go home and live with Mom and Dad? Go back to Beloit College? Go to a Greek island and learn to paint?

  5. What is the meaning of Israel to me? To find out if Native Americans are the Lost Tribe of Israel?

  6. Could I be part of the Lost Tribe?

  7. Will I find out why the eagle feather came? 8. Read poetry and take Emma Jean’s advice.

  What to put as the next item on her list stumped Katherine. In twenty-two years, Katherine had lived, learned, and enjoyed the journey. What next? Anaïs Nin had the answer: “Throw your dreams into space like a kite, and you do not know what it will bring back, a new life, a new friend, a new love, a new country.”

  Katherine vaulted from her desk. Her powder blue provincial chair tipped. Katherine flipped the chair back on its feet and told herself to breathe out worry and be patient. “Stay calm.”

  Katherine examined herself in the full-length mirror. She glowed in her pink and turquoise mod dress, which was her mother’s cherished “Twiggy” look. And the final touch, broad striped pink and green stockings slipped on her feet and into beige-and-white Mary Quaint Mary Janes. She was ready to stride along Michigan Avenue to the Drake Hotel.