Not only was Benny a tequila Jedi, but he also had family connections to the Puye Ruins and knew of the existence of an ancient prophecy. Maybe it was the excess tequila, but he was pretty pumped to meet a spirit carrier in the flesh. I suppose you could say another dot had connected for Kat, but it did little to dissuade her from her so-called role in fulfilling an extraordinary pregnancy.
Chapter #11 – The Prophecy
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Benny finished another round with a final sip, firmly put the shot glass down, and, with smiling eyes, encouraged Kat, “Tell me more about this mountain and this lucky Indian.”
“Lucky? I don’t even think he was real.” Kat said. “So, I guess you could say authenticity in anything I’m about to share is still out with the jury. I’ll tell you what I saw through my eyes, dreams, other senses, and what my body tells me so you choose to believe what you want. I’m not even sure I believe.”
Benny pressed, “Why were you on this mountain? You don’t strike me as the mountain climbing type.”
Ordinarily, Kat would be offended by anyone who doubted her skills, whether relevant to her capabilities or not. Still, the Anejo buzz influenced her mood to raise a defense instinctively, but fought back the urge, and let it slide. “It was more of a mesa than a mountain. I did have to climb, though the path was laid out for me by the spirit who directed me to the ruins.”
“Ruins?” he asked. “You need to clarify,”
“Yeah, the Puye Cliff Dwellings. I climbed to the top of the mesa where everything went down.’
“Why were you there? Who led you to the ruins?” Benny pressed, showing heightened signs of interest.
“An ancient medicine man spirit called Big Crow with Little Feet brought me to…”
Benny cut her off, “Hang on…hang on…this is too weird. You are describing a legend based on an old Puebloan prophecy. Big Crow with Little Feet was a Tewa medicine man who was murdered at Sand Creek by the U.S. Army Calvary long ago. His spirit has supposedly been roaming since the massacre in an attempt to reconnect…”
Kat slammed her shot glass down, “Hold on right there, Benny. Let me jump in here and see if I have this legend right. Big Crow with Little Feet was destined to wander until he reconnected Shadow Eagle, future tribal chief, with Dew of Flowers, his princess bride, who were both murdered near the Puye ruins.”
It was Benny’s turn to be struck dumb, “Incredible. This goes back ages before my time.”
“It goes back to 1864, and I suppose you know all about Puye and the cliff dwellings, too,” said Kat in a bit of tequila-influenced sarcasm.
“I do,” said Benny, “My family for several generations came from just east of Albuquerque, less than 100 miles from the ruins. We went there often to hunt on the mesa above the ruins. You know that Puye means a ‘gathering of rabbits,’ right?”
“I know, I know all that,” said Kat impatiently, “but let’s refocus here. You mentioned a legend.”
“First, please answer why you were on the mesa,” Benny asked.
“Big Crow recruited me, and only God knows why, to be this duwit chonah mowna jawneek person.”
Benny smiled and nodded, “The legend describes a prophecy of two lovers destined to be married who were murdered before the wedding could take place. Their spirits were separated and banished to the afterlife to wander until they found their way back together. ‘Duwit chonah mowna jawneek,’ is spoken in the ancient Tewa language,” explained Benny as Kat and Maddie sat dumbstruck. “It means ‘carrier of spirits.’ The prophecy talks about the two lovers being reunited in the spirit world by a duwit chonah mowna jawneek from another world, and I’m guessing that was your role, señorita Kat?”
“Apparently so,” replied Kat. Still marveling at Benny’s connection with this legend in which she had become entangled. “Last time I saw Big Crow, he told me that I was now the spirit carrier of the seed of Shadow Eagle that would soon become Big Crow’s great-great-grandson.”
Benny lifted the bottle and poured three more shots. “This has been a very remarkable evening. I’ve never met a spirit carrier in my life.”
“Tell me about it!” remarked Kat, “But I’m not carrying anything. I’ve never even had sex with a man, much less believed what some long-dead medicine man’s spirit is telling me. How can I carry a Puye child from being raped by the vision of another spirit?”
“Raped?” asked Benny.
“That’s the most confusing part of this whole situation,” said Kat, pausing to gaze up at the ceiling and decide how much she wanted to share. It probably was too late, she thought; he must think I’m crazy. “Big Crow called it a spiritual union, but I’m calling it a sanctioned rape. I did not give my permission, but at the same time, I complied with every command and every direction Big Crow gave me. Something inside me willingly craved this spiritual union despite my moral protests. I had no control over how this all went down on the mesa. I don’t know what to believe. Did Dew on Flowers, the spirit I carried, drive the union? I just don’t know, and I don’t know what to do about it.” Tears began to flow down her cheeks.
Maddie reached over, squeezed Kat’s hand, and blinked back tears of her own, seeing the stress her sister had been under and magnified by the effects of excellent tequila. There was no question about strange things happening, and confirming what was valid from what was left unclear brought story time to a close in an uneasy silence.
After another round of shots, the bottle was empty, and Maddie’s earlier prediction proved true; they would never find the parking lot, much less drive the limo home. Benny slid out of the booth after he shared something under the table with Maddie and asked, “Más tequila?” (more tequila?)
Both women shook their heads, and Maddie said, “Benny, I cannot feel my face. I think not, but gracias, amigo!”
A few minutes later, Alejandro stopped at their booth and held out his hand, “Keys, please.”
Neither of the women remembered the trip back to Maddie’s condo or that Alejandro escorted them inside to ensure their safety before he took an Uber back to the restaurant to close up.
Neither remembered going to bed or falling asleep. Maybe that’s what being comatose was like—neither dreamed either; intoxication blessed them with deep sleep to rest and recover. When morning arrived, Maddie was the first to awaken and headed to the kitchen to begin the caffeination ritual.
“Is that coffee I smell?” asked a groggy Kat, shuffling into the kitchen and slowly taking a seat as her body ached. Her body did not hurt, but her brain warned her about sudden movements like sitting, standing, thinking, or worrying.
“Café Verona, my little Duwit sister,” answered Maddie, grinning broadly.
Kat had her face buried in her hands, elbows propped on the table, and mumbled, “Ya know, that’s not even a little bit funny, big sister. I could be pregnant.” She lifted her head out of her hands on the verge of crying and pleaded, “Seriously, I could be pregnant, Maddie. What am I going to do?”
“I know you don’t want to hear me tell you to relax, but you need to relax. You’ll know when that bridge must be crossed, or not, in a couple of weeks. If it were me, and I know you probably don’t want my advice, but here it is…I’d try to move on and stop worrying about an uncertain future. Worrying changes nothing,” said Maddie.
Kat responded, “Me and my OCD do not do well with uncertainty; plus, it’s easy for you…you’re not the one who is worrying about being pregnant.”
“I get that, but nothing will show on an ultrasound until after you miss your next period or ten days or so since having sex. I’d be more concerned about when you ovulated. Ovulation takes place about 14 days before your period. What’s your cycle like?” asked Maddie.
“My cycle has OCD too; it’s always on time, never late,” explained Kat. “I don’t routinely track ovulation because I don’t need to know or care. I never desired to be pregnant, so why bother?” She paused to count in her head, “My period should start in ten days, so that may be when I get a home pregnancy test to see what’s up if my visitor does not show up.”
“Your routines may have to change, little sister. Give it some time. Personally, I’d go to my OB-GYN to be sure after taking the home test. The last thing you need is a false reading on which to base decisions.”
“Great, so hurry up and wait. I don’t wait well. Never have,” confessed Kat, sitting back and blowing out her cheeks with a deep breath of resignation.
After a light breakfast that respected their limping recovery from the Extra Anejo haze, Kat packed for her journey back to Lewisville. The long drive home held much less appeal than the anticipation she felt at the beginning of the trip to Phoenix. Fifteen-plus hours to worry during the journey home and the angst over passing by places she did not want to remember. None of that sounded appealing, plus she doubted she had enough blues CDs to distract her thoughts.
With her backpack slung over her right shoulder, Kat hugged her sister goodbye and headed for the limo. “Call me and let me know how you’re doing, Duwit.” Maddie could not pass up firing one last shot across her sister’s bow.
Kat did not look back. She said nothing and gave no reaction except for slowly extending her middle finger as she climbed behind the wheel of the limo.
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Hope you enjoyed chapter #11! I’m still editing and writing, so this is a work in progress that may become a novel one day. I’ll continue to share each chapter, so keep checking back. I would love to know your thoughts so far at gdogwise@live.com …If not, enjoy the read!
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