The Road Home

Chapter 23

Ben stopped by his office early to print off exams for his first class. The pouring rain had hampered his desire to get to his office as early as he wanted. Now he was pressed for time.

"Good morning, Dr. Chase," the department secretary said. She met him at his office door.

"Morning, Carolyn." Carolyn had become a good friend since he had become department chair and was always eager to offer assistance or advice whenever it came to anything that would help the school. He was glad; almost relieved when she decided last year to stay on instead of retiring. Ben loved how she lit up when he would tell her the department wouldn't be the same without her and he was right. "How are you today?"

"Good. Dean Carter needs to meet with you at eleven."

"Did he say what it is regarding?" Ben stood beside the copier as it slowly spit out the papers he needed.

"He didn't," she said with a frown. "He sounded serious, almost grim. I hope it's not about the Oglala school."

Ben sighed. He had been afraid the dean would put a halt on the project. He grabbed the exams and quickly made his way towards the Stilley building where most of his classes were.

The morning went swiftly considering it was exam day in all of his classes. Ben took the opportunity to grade papers from Monday night. The rain hadn't let up before his break so he stopped by his office to grab an umbrella then began the long hike across campus to the administration building.

He was careful not to walk under the trees that lined the sidewalk and tried to avoid the water that splashed from the passing cars. The gray metal benches that usually held several students were empty as students and staff alike dashed into buildings to escape the rain.

Dean Carter's secretary greeted him as he walked in. "Hello, Dr. Chase. Dean Carter is expecting you."

Carter met Ben at the doorway of his large office. The tall, distinguished man had worked at the University for the past fifteen years and had always had a good relationship with Ben and his department. They shook hands. "How are you?"

"Good, thank you." Ben had an uneasy feeling as he walked into the room.

"You know Mack Bolen." Dean Carter nodded at the university's Chief Financial Officer. The balding man wore suspenders with his black pants and white dress shirt.

Ben took his hand and gave it a firm shake. "Good to see you,"

"Professor. Nice to see you, as well." Mack sat down in the large leather chair that was positioned in front of the dean's desk.

"Have a seat, Ben." Dean Carter motioned towards the matching leather chair and walked towards his desk. He leaned against one end. "I guess you're wondering why you're here." He smiled briefly as Ben nodded ready for the bad news. "Last Tuesday, a cashier's check was delivered to the school. At first we weren't sure if it was legitimate or not considering the amount." He looked at Mack who explained.

"The check was written for three million dollars." Mack Bolen grinned widely, unable to contain his excitement. "It was from a bank in Los Angeles and once it cleared, which was yesterday, the funds were deposited into the school's account."

The dean eyed Ben. "Do you know anything about any of this?'

Ben shook his head. "Why would I?"

"Ben," the Dean smiled. "The check was written to the American Indian Studies program."

Ben felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. It was a good thing he was sitting down. It took some time for him to process that information. He closed his mouth and remembered to breathe.