The Valley of Dry Bones (15 page)

“He wants us to want to,” Zeke said. “But we are not able.”

“Then what is the point?”

“The point is that God has made a way for us through Jesus. In ourselves we cannot please God. We cannot save ourselves.”

“This is profound,” she said. “Is it why I have never felt worthy?”

“It very well could be.”

“But I do not understand. Make me understand.”

Lord, help me. Give me the words.

“The words are there. Just speak them to her.”

What words?

“Open your mouth.”

Yes, Lord.

“There is none righteous, no, not one, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

“If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, ‘Whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame . . . Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.'”

Gaho cocked her head and looked into Zeke's eyes.

“Say nothing,” the Lord told him.

She maintained eye contact as she reached for her son's meaty hand and lifted it off her shoulder, then clasped her hands around her great-great-granddaughter's waist and pulled her close. She lowered her cheek to the top of Zaltana's head and rested it there. “Thank you,” she said.

Zeke started to thank her but God reminded him, “Say nothing,” so he just nodded.

She closed her eyes, and Zeke was aware of footsteps behind him. He turned to see that Kineks had returned. “What now?” she said, and the others shushed her.

After a minute, Zaltana whispered, “Great-Granddad, she's sleeping.”

Kaga leaned close to listen and with one hand steadied her while with
the other extracting Zaltana. He laid his mother down and gently pulled her shawl to her neck. They all tiptoed out and back to the tribal council hut, Zaltana peeling off to join the other children.

“What a fascinating woman,” Pastor Bob said.

“I'm proud of her,” Kaga said. “I think she's remarkable for her age.”

“For any age,” the pastor said. “If I'm not rude for asking, why had we not been introduced to her before?”

“That was her choice. She's embarrassed about her age.”

“She didn't seem to be.”

“The last outsiders were government officials who wanted to make an example of her, use her to prove how wonderfully we were being treated if she could live so long. She hated that and said no more. After that she refused to meet anyone.”

“I understand.”

“Let us finish our business,” Kaga said, and he had Yuma quickly tally the day's trade of crafts for water and food.

“Now,” the Lord told Zeke.

There's more?

Zeke had already learned that God was not in the habit of repeating Himself. “Kaga, may I leave you with a message?”

“Certainly. We would be honored, and of course, Pastor Bob, we wish to send back to your wife the message of our prayers.”

“Thank you,” the pastor said.

Zeke said, “The heavens and the earth are reserved for fire until the day of judgment of ungodly men. But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that the Lord is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.

“Therefore, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; and consider that the long-suffering of our Lord is salvation.

“To Him be glory both now and forever. Amen.”

Kaga cleared his throat. “Thank you, Zeke.”

“‘Thank you, Zeke'?” Kineks said. “I say that's why I'm not religious! What kind of foolishness was that? What did that even mean? Do
you
even know what it means, Zeke? I knew from the first time these people came here, pretending to befriend us, that all they wanted to do was change us, fix us, change our culture. We should have fled to Arizona with our brothers and sisters!”

“I did not mean to offend you, Kineks,” Zeke said. “It was just a message I felt led to—”

“Don't apologize to me! Apologize to the sainted matriarch of this tribe who does not need her religion, her beliefs, and her heritage insulted and challenged after a century! We are the people who owned this land. We are the ones who were brutalized and cast aside, pushed into reservations and left with nothing. And now you come with your attempts to make us just like you. Well, it's not going to work, so you can stop trying.”

Again she rose as if to stomp out, glaring at Yuma as if demanding he go with her. Zeke thought he looked embarrassed and frustrated as he gestured for her to sit back down. Just then their granddaughter bounded in with a grin.

Kineks said, “Oh, Zaltana, not now—”

But the girl raced past her. “You won't leave without saying good-bye, will you?”

“Of course not!” Pastor Bob said, scooping her up.

“Are you crying?” she said, cupping his face in her hands.

“Maybe a little bit.”

“Why?”

When he struggled for words, Zeke said, “Pastor Bob's wife is very sick, so they might not be able to come back here again. They're going to miss all of you.”

“Miss Jennie's sick?”

Pastor Bob nodded.

“I want to see her.”

“She wished she could see you too,” he managed. “She told me to tell you good-bye and to keep smiling.”

“Wait!” she said, squirming free. “Don't go yet.” And she ran off.

“What a delightful child,” Pastor Bob said, wiping his face. “You've done a wonderful job with her, Yuma and Kineks.”

Yuma thanked him. Kineks looked away. When again she stood as if to leave, Kaga said solemnly, “This council is still in session.”

His daughter-in-law slowly sank back down. “What business is still before us?”

“The business of silence.”

Kineks folded her arms and sighed.

After a moment Zeke felt compelled to dispel the awkwardness and said, “Jesus loved children and bid them come to—”

Kaga glanced at him quickly and put a finger to his own lips, and the Lord impressed upon Zeke, “Even the right word is not fitly spoken at the wrong time.”

Zaltana returned and strode directly to Pastor Bob, clutching a tiny stick-figure doll with a twine head and burlap dress. “Can you give this to Miss Jennie for me?”

“Oh, sweetheart, she'll cherish it!”

“No, no!” Kineks said. “I made that for you! You will not give it away!”

Zaltana burst into tears. “I want to!”

“But it's your favorite!”

“That's why I want Miss Jennie to have it! To remember me!”

“You take it to bed with you every night!”

“Now
she
can!”

“I made it for you, not for her!”

Pastor Bob said, “Zaltana, Miss Jennie could never forget you, don't you worry.”

“But I want her to have it. Grandmom, you taught me we give to people we love. Isn't that why you gave it to me, because you love me?”

“Kineks,” Yuma said, “listen to her. You taught her this. You made her this way.”

Kineks looked stricken, trapped. “But-but, I—”

“Is the doll not hers?” Kaga said.

Kineks closed her eyes and nodded. “It's hers.”

“Then let her do with it as she wants.”

“Is it all right, Grandmom?”

Kineks opened her eyes and nodded again.

Zaltana gave the doll to Pastor Bob. He hugged the girl and clearly could not speak.

Zaltana went to her grandmother and climbed into her lap, and the woman rocked her until Kaga ended the meeting.

B
ACK AT THE COMPOUND
late Monday morning, Zeke and Mahir opened their respective hoods to check water levels as the others headed inside. “See you at one,” Zeke reminded Pastor Bob, who still clutched the tiny primitive doll.

“Mine was starting to overheat,” he told Mahir. “Yours?”

“A little. S'pose you saw WatDoc.”

Zeke shot him a look. “What do you mean? 'Course I saw him. We all saw him.”

“On the way back, I mean.”

“What're you talking about? I saw nothing on the way back. Why didn't you alert me?”

Mahir shrugged. “He wasn't moving, so you wouldn't have seen dust.”

Zeke slammed shut the hood of the tanker and faced his old friend. Mahir busied himself with the van engine. “Mahir, we've got to talk, man. What were you gonna do, let me lead him back here?”

“Of course not,” he said, sounding bored. “If he'd have followed us, you'd have seen him or I would have flagged you down like I did on the way.”

“Mahir! Look at me. Where was this?”

He straightened and turned. “'Bout a half mile outside the tribe
settlement. It's not like he doesn't know where they are, Zeke. You know he does business with them.”

“He doesn't know
we
know where they are!”

Mahir shrugged. “Probably does now, I guess.”

“You say that like it's no big deal.”

“So tell me why it's a big deal.”

“I don't believe this,” Zeke said. “We're the only people I know who have stood up to the Mongers without getting people killed—and we almost lost Cristelle. I love the tribe, and they're a lot more savvy than we gave them credit for at first. But who knows if they can stand up to the Mongers? Will he bully them, make them sell him the water we trade them? Some of that we bought from him!”

“So? You don't believe in the free enterprise system?”

“You can't be that naïve! You think WatDoc has the Nuwuwu's best interest at heart?”

“Probably not. Why would he?”

Zeke shook his head. “Do you, Mahir?”

“I don't know anymore.”

“What are you saying?”

Mahir shut the hood of the van and wiped his hands. “It just seems like such a waste. We've been out here so long, and what have we accomplished?”

“Come on, man. You're one of the smartest people I've ever known. You know better than to be results-oriented. We do the right thing because it's the right thing. Whether it works or not is seldom up to us, is it? Is that how it works in science?”

“You say that, but where has it gotten us, Zeke? You and I worked our tails off on the drought thing for years, and our own government finally just gave up.”

“Could you blame 'em? What was the option?”

“There was none! God won this one. But here we are, still shaking our fists in His face. What chance do we have? Everybody else is back
in paradise, where they have wells and springs and city systems that give them all the water they want. Meanwhile you and I have to rely on every trick in our bag and come up with a contraption to keep our little band of friends alive. And for what?”

“Mahir, is that what you really think? That we're out here fighting God, shaking our fists at Him when He's made it clear He wants us off this ground He's cursed?”

Mahir looked away and shook his head. “I don't know what else to think.”

“You've always been quiet, but is this why you've been so moody lately?”

“Have I?”

“Yeah, you have. The way you talked to Elaine this morning?”

“Zeke! I was just trying to motivate her.”

“She didn't deserve that. She's one of the sweetest, most selfless people I've ever met.”

“That's a nice sentiment, but sentiment'll get you killed. When someone draws down on me, I don't want sweet and selfless, I want cold and ready. So I guess I have been a little moody lately.”

“When did you forget why we're here, why we're keeping our little band fed and hydrated and supplied?”

“I don't know. Are we done here, Zeke? I'm hungry and have stuff to do, and I know you do too.”

Zeke stared at his friend. “We can be done if you want to be, but I worry about you.”

“Don't.”

“Why wouldn't I? We've worked together a long time, and I need you. I can't imagine carrying on without you, and you're making noises like you're not long for this place. We both know you could find work—good, challenging, lucrative work—just about anywhere. Is that what you're going to do? Leave me out here by myself?”

“You'd hardly be alone.”

“But you are, huh? Planning to go?”

“Actually no. I have no plans.”

“But you're not happy here, so I shouldn't assume you'll be here for the long haul.”

“I don't know.”

“Why'd you come in the first place?”

“Seemed like an adventure, I guess.”

“An adventure. Wow.”

“Well, why'd you come, Zeke?”

“I thought it was clear why we all came. I thought Pastor Bob made it plain as day that this was no small decision. If you didn't see it as a call of God on your life, you shouldn't have committed to it.”

“You want the truth?”

“Of course!”

“I came because of you.”

Zeke suddenly felt exhausted. He hung his head and rubbed his eyes. “That is the last thing I wanted to hear. And that is about the dumbest reason you could have told me. But I'll bite. You said you thought it was an adventure. What did I have to do with it?”

“I always liked working with you and for you. I liked the way you think, the way you made me think, the way you challenged me and brought out the best in me.”