David C. McLavic - 39. Chapter 39

Opening the door, Bobby and Michael were there. “You look like hell.”

“Thank you, Michael.” I was a little sarcastic when I said that.

When Bobby is with anyone, they walk in. In fact, if I hadn’t decided to lock that door, Bobby would have been inside, the fire in the fireplace blazing and the coffee pot on the stove

“David, you don’t have to worry about the Indians. That religious group working with them won’t let them take your place. The chief has a strong respect for them and believes in what those people say. But you can expect visitors. According to what Bobby said, you need to stock up on cookies and tea.”

Michael was laughing when he told me this. I listened, but I also needed to see Uncle Joe. “I’m going home and bring my Uncle Joe back with me. He understands the Indians better than I do.”

Before the door closed, “Can I go with you?”

“Yes, Bobby, you can go with me.” I was thinking if the big chief was going to visit I needed some of Mary’s bakery goods. I haven’t had any of her donuts for almost a year.

“Why are you smiling?”

“I was making out my shopping list.”

That evening, I wrote a letter to Dad. I told him about the Indians, coming home and bringing some of Mary’s homemade sweets back. Posted it in the morning while I was at the grocery store. I loaded up on tea, cookies, and bones for Wolf. Besides using my window box, I also stored some food in a lunch box in the stream. I would seal the lunch box with lead, tie a rope to the box, and let it sit in the cold water. I think I had two lunch boxes filled with hot dogs sitting in that stream.

Before I left for Dad’s, I got a telegram delivered at the post office, Three days passed before I received it. When I told Bobby I wasn’t going home, he looked sad. “Why are you sad?”

“I won’t get any of those homemade cookies.”

“You know you can make those cookies yourself.”

“No, it wouldn’t be the same.”

I just laughed. Two days later, five days after Dad sent the telegram, Dad and Uncle Joe were knocking on my door. Wolf was on his feet looking at the door. I thought it was strange; no growling or any noise from him. Opening the door, expecting Indians, there was Dad and Uncle Joe.

“I didn’t know you were coming."

“I sent a telegram.”

“I didn’t get it until two days ago. You know we don’t have mail delivery here.”

“Come down to the Lodge and help me carry your groceries up.”

As we were heading down to the Lodge, we met Bobby coming up to the cabin.

Dad and Uncle Joe greeted him with a hug, and now there was someone else to help carry things to the cabin.

Want to know who carried the cookies? If you said Bobby, you would be right, and of course, he had to taste them. It took Bobby and I three trips to bring everything up. Dad and Uncle Joe stayed in the cabin with Wolf.

Upon my arrival with the last package, Bobby put a kettle on the stove for hot water. He was ready for his chocolate and Marie’s cookies.

Dad and Uncle Joe stayed for three days. Dad said he needed to get back; he had a grad student handling his class for one day, but he needed to be there. Uncle Joe decided if I would drive him back, he would stay. He said the trees wanted to talk with him. I knew better, it wasn’t the trees. he missed me as I missed him. Growing up, when Dad wasn’t there for me, Uncle Joe was.