Tombstone.
This morning I walked around and looked for Mr. Joe. I found him on the balcony of the undertaker’s office and headed upstairs, calling out for him. “Mr. Joe?”
When I walked into the room with all the coffins upstairs, I jumped back as Mr. Joe walked in. “What are you doing in here?” he frowned.
“I.... I wanna say I sorry,” I looked down.
“No point in saying sorry Nat unless you really mean it, and frankly, it’s Alex who should be apologizing.”
“I real sorry. I just started at clinic and I learnin’ things as I go. I won’t talk to you out in the street about clinic stuff ever again. It not mr. Alex’s fault, it mine.”
“Yes, I know, and indeed you wont or I shall report both you and Alex to the Cochise County medical board.”
“I thought it was good thing to say I sorry and mean it,” I looked down.
“It is the first thing he should of told you about. There are times I think you kids just think you can act and do what ever you please.”
“Well I say I sorry. Not sure what else to do,” I sighed and looked away. I leave you alone now,” I turned to go.
“Your apology is accepted, but I will judge you by your actions not your words.”
“Okay, Sir,” I nodded and walked out of the office.
“And that will be for all the kids here from now on,” he said and I walked down to the street.
An hour later I saw Mr. James and waved to him. When he asked me how I was, I replied with. “I dunno.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Well I tried being bigger person but Mr. Joe still mean.”
“Who is Mr. Joe?”
“He work with dead people.”
“Gruesome profession if ya ask me… Why is he being mean?”
“Guess I shouldn’t even talk bout that. I dunno what I’m allowed to talk bout anymore.”
“Well, you know you can talk to me about anything....especially if someone is being mean.”
“But now I not sure what’s um... confidential and what not. That the word Mr. Stone used.”
“Oh… Ok.”
"He was mad I asked him stuff in the street and came in and yelled at Mr. Alex and me.”
“Yeah, things with patients are supposed to be kept private.”
“So this mornin’ I went to apologize and he said he’d believe me if I acted it. I was tryin’ to be nice and say I sorry but he was kinda mean about it at first. Then he accepted it but still said that.”
“Sadly, not many adults are very trusting…”
“So I guess it not always good to be bigger person cause it don’t get you nowhere.”
“But it does get you somewhere...you apologized, that is what matters.”
“I guess,” I sighed. “Won’t do me no good.”
“But it does do you good....because you were the one who went to him and apologized.”
Miss Paisley came over and I told her that I had decided to go to school so I can go to medical school when I get bigger. She said that she arranged for the other teachers to allow me and Jimmy to sit across the aisle from each other. Miss Paisley asked if she wanted to go to class with me and I told her about how Sabi and Payton seemed to be nicer to me lately. Mr. James said he still wanted to help my ma with working at the Pinkerton’s office.
Miss Paisley and I headed to school and I started to read more of ma’s journals as I waited for school to start. Mr. Finesmith came in and I looked up at him. “I’m sorry I haven’t been in school much.”
“Well.. you should be.”
“I gonna be a better student, I promise.”
“School is very important.”
“I was just scared before cause Miss Traci pulled my hair.”
“I did talk to Miss Traci after that class,” Miss Paisley said.
“I am sure she had a very good reason,” Mr. Finesmith said.
“She didn’t say anythin’ just came over and did it. But I gotta be at school if I wanna be a doctor some day. So I might as well get used to it now. Gonna be in school forever.”
“I did arrange with her for Nat to sit across the aisle from Jimmy,” Miss Paisley said. Then she looked over at me and she told me, “Nat, sit one row up.. Nora usually sits in that one.”
“See?” I sighed. “Don’t matter where I sit. It’s wrong.”
“Compromise…” Miss Paisley said. “It is not that you are wrong sweetie.”
“No young lady.. this is not so. As long as you sit on your backside.. you are fine,” MR. Finesmith said.
“Really Mr. Finesmith? I can sit with the boys?” I asked, walking over to him as he fed Pretty Bird.
“I just know that the two on the ends in the back row are usually taken sweetie,” Miss Paisley said. And I want you to be able to sit across from Jimmy. It was the compromise I worked out with Miss Traci The one row free was the middle row”
Mr. Finesmith looked from the frog drawn on the blackboard then back at me. “Good morning Miss Natalie. Time for our lesson today.”
Mr. Finesmith and I went over etiquette and then Mr. Finesmith asked me, “Now. I have your flag for your country?” When I took it out of the bag and showed him, he said, “It is a circle with a line through it.”
“It has a book and then I put the medical picture in the middle.”
“Oh... this is changed.”
“I made a new one since I started workin’ at the clinic. It looks better, don’t it?”
“And do you know why it looks better?” he looked at me.
“I copied the picture from one of the medical books in the clinic. Why is it better?”
“Because the first design you made.. you were not concentrating. But rather just going through motions. This flag…” he held it out. “You have cared for , and it is reflected in your design.”
“I wanted to do a good job, Mr. Finesmith. Mr. Stone said we should be good at everything we do.”
Mr. Finesmith handed the flag to me and said, “We’ll need that later.” When I grinned and sat down in the front row he asked, “Were you here for the opening of my lesson in ‘Communications?’”
“Um…” I looked through my notes. “I was here when we made our own country with the baskets. Mr. Finesmith.”
“And not here when we made the smoke fires?”
“And we traded but no one would trade iwth me. Remember Sabi and them were mean? Sabi said she was sorry.”
“So you were not here for the smoke fires?” he asked and I shook my head. “Very well. I will be sure you have make up lesson on that.”
“Okay, I sorry Mr. Finesmith. I am gonna do better now. That being said... Miss Nora.. what are a few principals of Communication?” he asked as Nora walked in late.
“Oh uh… Lookin’ ’em in the eye?” she asked, looking around. I turned to watch and waved back to Mr. Alex in the back of the classroom and he waved back.
“I will except that. Eye contact or Line of sight! Very important for various types of Communication. For instance…” he said and I raised my hand but he asked me, “Miss Natalie.. what did you just do as you turned around?”
“I um... waved to Mr. Alex to show him I went to school.”
“Was that a form of Communication?” he asked and I heard Mr. Alex chuckle.
“Yes sir,” I nodded. “I was sayin’ hi.”
“And you needed to see him yes?”
“Yes sir. I was turned around to watch you and Nora.”
“Eye contact.. line of sight. Last time.. we made the fires.. to make signals of smoke. And the young man and the young women were able to ‘speak’ to each other with the puffs. from a damp blanket. Line of sight. Can you name another form of communication that uses eye contact or line of sight? Miss Natalie?”
“Um… Well… When we look in the microscope in the clinic we see the blood cells. Is that like us talkin’ to em?” I asked and he blinked, so I looked down, seeing I was wrong. “I sorry Sir. Guess that’s not what you were waiting for.”
Mr. Finesmith slowly turned to Nora and she blinked up at him as he cleared his throat. “Well uh,” she said. “I were gonna say writin’… but see, she got a good point with the blood.”
Duh, I shoulda known that, I thought to myself. “She does?” I clarified, looking at her.
“Now, whether that’s, y’know, a single cell in the microscope,” Nora went on. “Or a whole bunch comin’ out a fella all at once.”
Mr. Finesmith continued to look pale and Mr. Alex asked, “Sir, are you okay? You look a little pale.”
“Writing…” his voice cracked. “Writing.. yes.”
“Mr. Finesmith? You alright?” Miss Paisley asked.
“Yeah, Mister Finesmith. Speakin’ ’a’ blood, looks like it all done left your face,” Nora said and I giggled.
“That is another form of communication that requires... line of sight,” Mr. Finesmith cleared his throat.
“It just makes a picture in the microscope to the person looking at it.,” Miss Paisley said.
“Oh yessir, ‘course,” Nora said and I smiled at her for sticking up for me.
“Next week, we will be using a device that I am having shipped in from New Brunswick, New Jersey,” Mr. Finesmith said.
“Ohh... That’s a real long way, Mister Finesmith!” Nora exclaimed.
“It is! Close to where I came from Nora,” Miss Paisley said.
“Oh indeed.. as did the Edison Light Bulbs I ordered,” Mr. Finesmith told us. “As some of you know, I hail from New York City, and was Schooled there. So many of my acquaintances are there. And… that being said… We will be using a ‘Marconi Radio’.”
“Ooo!” I grinned.
“And we will find out that.. there is yet another form of communication that does not at all entail any sight whatsoever. I think you will be fascinated, I know I was.”
“Huh,” Nora cocked her head.
“Problem Miss Nora?”
“Well uh… just as it sounds like some kinda pasta, is all,” she said and we giggled at her. “I mean, I heard of a telephonic bullet probe. See, that’s like the blood, see, only it ain’t by line ’a’ sight. Just like the macaroni thing.”
“Wait wait wait... let’s not bring bullet probes into this… yes?” Mr. Finesmith pleaded. “The machine was made by a gentleman by the name of Guglielmo Marconi.”
“Aw, well, if you insist, Mister Finesmith. But see, it don’t use eye contact either on account ’a’ it’s deep in the bullet hole in the fella’s body, an’ you can’t see it in there anyhow,” Nora said.
Mr. Alex excused himself and headed out and I continued to raise my hand until Mr. Finesmith finally called on me. “Is that like the telegram machine in Ma’s office?” I asked.
“Almost… and we will learn the differences.”
“Okay.”
“The first being.. a Telegraph you need to look at to send a message. To transcribe the sounds into letters,” Mr. Finesmith explained. “The Marconi.. you will find you need only listen.” He looked through the aisle.
“Everythin’ all right, Mister Finesmith?” Nora asked.
“Um… yes. Another form of communication that we will witness is a creation of Mr Thomas Edison, Menlo Park New Jersey.”
“Dang, that New Jersey place gotta be some kinda amazin’ place as all this stuff comes outta it,” Nora said.
“Now I know you have all seen his wax phonograph,” Mr. Finesmith smiled.
“I was gonna say that, Nora. Phonograph?” I asked.
“Aw, sure, Nat. Like them cylinders you see?” Nora looked at me.
“Remember what I said.. break down words you do not understand into words that you do,” Mr. Finesmith said.
“It’s like that graphophone in the Prospector newspaper. With the big ol’ horn on it?” Nora said.
“Speaking of the news paper. Another form of communication, not only will we see how one is made.. in Benson…” Mr. Finesmith went on. “We will draft a contribution to the newspaper, to see our work in print.”
“Ma used to make a newspaper!!” I grinned.
“Let’s boost our vocabulary, something vital to most forms of communication,” Mr. Finesmith said.
“I think you have these girls excited about coming events Mr. Finesmith,” Miss Paisley smiled.
“Oh yes ma’am, I believe so. I am excited as well,” he nodded. “Now then. I will say a word. And starting with Miss Natalie, then to Miss Paisley.. then to Miss Nora.. I need you to say a word that means the same as the word I stated! A word that can be substituted. That is.. used in place of the word I say..and mean the same ..ready? The First word is .... REMARKABLE!”
“Um.... Amazing?” I guessed.
“Good! Miss Paisley?”
“Incredible!”
“Excellent. Miss Nora?”
“Uh... Extraordinary?”
“Oh oh! Is Excellent one?” I grinned.
“Wonderful!” Mr. Finesmith smiled.
“And wonderful?” I grinned.
We continued to go through other words and I tried to pass on one that I didn’t understand but he wouldn’t let me, so I had to guess anyway. We talked about how repeating things helped us learn better, and how lots of words had several other ones that meant the same thing.
“You mean, ’stead ’a’ sayin’ as a fella done bled out, I oughtta say sometimes as he exsanguinated? That’d be better?”
“Oh you did not…” Mr. Finesmith winced and said weakly, swallowing hard. “Homewor-…” he coughed and then said, “Homework tonight…”
“Now just ’tween you an’ me, it’s a real mess when that happens,” Nora said and I giggled as Mr. Finesmith used the desk to steady himself and lifted a hand.
“Sir, you not like blood?” I guessed.
“Yessir?” Nora asked.
“Five words. You will list… for your homework… five words that all mean the same. Use your best hand-writing. You will be graded on that as well. Thank you all Ladies .. well done.. and lesson is over. Class is dismissed… Someone kindly place the canary to sleep”
Nora went over to take care of the bird and I wrote out five words off the top of my head and said, “Happy, joyful, glad, cheerful, thrilled.”
“Gutshot, eviscerated… hmm…” Nora muttered words.
“I knew it!” Mr. Finesmith held his stomach.
“Guts blown out… naw, too close. You all right, Mister Finesmith?” Nora asked.
“Have a wonderful rest of the day,” Mr. Finesmith glared and headed out.
“Nora that was fun,” I giggled.
“That’s a queer fella sometimes,” she smiled at me. “Glad you liked it, Nat!”
“Mr. Alex teachin’ me how to be a doctor,” I grinned. “Like you!”
“Well, ain’t that somethin’! How old are you?”
“I had no idea he was squeamish with blood,” Miss Paisley said about Mr. Finesmith.
“Uh huh! He taught me all about cleanin’ and making tea and the equipment he uses,” I grinned. “I nine.”
“Oh…”
“Ma says it good for me to do somethin’.”
“Huh. You ready for the sight ’a’ someone’s guts?”
“Uh huh I was good while you talkin’ bout blood, weren’t I?” I asked and she nodded.
“Yeah, I reckon. ’Sides, it ain’t the sight.”
“Nora, does anyone sit front row on boys sit on the aisle?” Miss Paisley asked.
“Aw yes’m, they do. Jeffery sits there. An’ so does Neilty, an’ others from time t’ time.”
“The middle?”
“Think I gonna go to the clinic and do some work,” I said then. “If no one there I might read more. Ma’s journals gettin’ interestin’.”
“I arranged with Miss Traci for Nat and Jimmy to sit across the aisle,” Miss Paisley went on.
“Miss Paisley, it fine. I need to learn things. If I gonna be a doctor I gotta come to school.”
“Yeah, you sure gotta, Nat,” Nora nodded. “How’s your Latin?”
“And maybe it be hard to focus if I sit beside Jimmy. Latin?”
“Yeah, you gotta know the Latin. You got plenty time,” she smiled.
“I been learnin’ Apache and Spanish,” I told her. “Is too many languages already. Now I gotta learn Latin too?”
“But if it is possible Nat, then that is good… but if you are ok, not across that is good too.”
“Aw sure, Nat. We use Latin all the time,” Nora said.
“We do?”
“A all the body parts, see. They’s in Latin.”
“You will pick it up Nat,” Miss Paisley promised.
“Oh yeah Mr. Stone told me the different bones on Mr. Bones. We learned over like forty of em,” I told them.
“Like I said, you got plenty time,” Nora said.
“Learn both names at same time,” Miss Paisley suggested.
We talked about how I was going to learn Chinese and Ka and then I told them about my horses. Nora and I went to the stables and looked at the horses. We talked about Miss Rye giving us bikes and then I went for a ride.
***
A while later I walked out of the clinic and saw a group of people outside the clinic. Ruby was talking with her parents and talked about Ruby’s adoption party for today. Mr. Cole and Mrs. Rye joined us and then we headed over to the courtroom to watch as Ruby got her new mommy and daddy. It was pretty neat to watch as Mr. Adrian talked. Miss Doll gave my hand a squeeze and I grinned, watching the proceedings.
After the stuff was done at the courthouse, we went over to the saloon in Venice and danced to celebrate with lots of good food and treats.
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