Letters for Sally

Chapter 19

Chapter 19
Sally woke up to a phone call early in the morning. It was her mother's lawyer.  He asked if she got her assignments done and was going to be able to graduate. She answered all his questions and then he asked when she could be back to have a meeting about her future and he wanted Harry to come as well.  Sally's heart dropped and she told him she would get back to him later that day after she had an opportunity to talk to Harry about the details.

"Courage is what we pray for now, courage, honesty, and wisdom from God."  Maggie was standing in the doorway looking at Sally feeling like she needed to step in to help.  "The Lakota believe in doing what is right no matter what, figuring out what is right is sometimes hard to determine nowadays.  Life is much more complicated than it once was when we ate from the land and lived in harmony with our families and nature doing what we needed for our daily needs.  When I gave my life to Jesus I knew He was the great I am, the Great Spirit who gave his life to redeem our selfish world.  You are faced with a great decision and you are not sure about the details but with courage, honestly in yourself, and wisdom from our Lord, you will prevail.  It's a matter of doing what is necessary and being honest with yourself the entire time.  Keeping your connection to God and when you hear him speak the truth about your life you listen and do as he says."  Sally's eyes started to fill up with tears, she wasn't torn. She knew she wanted to stay but she knew she had to go back and she wasn't sure what responsibly would call her to do.  She had to deal with her mother and father's business and she had to decide what she wanted to do with her own future.  She ran to Maggie and embraced her.  "Thank you so much Maggie for everything.  I know I have to do this, but I want to stay and I have fallen in love with all of you." Maggie pulled back from her and smiled at her, "and Hotah?"  Sally smiled sheepishly, "Yes especially Hotah, I Love Him Maggie and he told me he loves me too yesterday."  Maggie looked at her and took her face in her hands, "Child that boy has been in love with you since day one and we Lokota take love very seriously you know.  Family comes first and he knows you have business to take care of.  He was taught to keep control and to do what is right.  He will do that and he will wait for you too if you decide that is what God wants."  Sally sighed and shook her head yes, she knew Maggie was right.  The unknown was difficult but she could do this.  After all, she had done harder.  "Maggie, where is Harry? I have to make plans and he has to go too."  Maggie nodded, pointed toward the east field and said take the four-wheeler in the shed, he is helping a momma cow with a calf this morning.

Sally finally found him down on the lower side of the hills.  He was struggling with the momma and had his hand halfway into the cow's insides.  She had gotten used to the shock of animal experiences.  She had many farm experiences within her first week of being here.  She eventually learned how to jump right in and help.  She pulled her long hair into a bun knowing that this talk may happen while she is helping him pull a calf from this cow's body. 

"Sally, you're just in time to grab that bar over by my four-wheeler.  It has a red handle."  Harry yelled out.
Sally grabbed the bar and brought it to him. He had some sort of pulley system on the backside of the cow and Sally was just trying to be helpful as she watched in amazement.  Harry put the pulley together and told her to text Hotah and tell him where they were.  "Sally come and hold this old girl's tail up in the air. We need her to keep pushing and she is running out of energy."  Sally did as she was told and found a cow's tail is heavier or stronger than expected.  She had to stay
Focus on her strength and keep her eyes on her job.  She said out loud, "I need to get in better shape". Harry smiled at her and then started pumping the ratchet. "Hold tight honey, just hold tight."  Hotah came up running and jumped right in, he took the ratchet, Sally could tell they had worked together before.  "The chain is around the feet and I have pulled it out some. But hold on Hotah I am going to go in and adjust the head to make sure it's positioned right."  Hotah answered, yes sir, holding."  Harry went inside again and moved things around. "Ok Hotah go, Sally let go of the tail and step back."  Sally stepped back and the men worked together like machinery without hardly a word and before she knew it was a head and then a baby calf was on the grass.  Hotah jumped in and rubbed the babies face and chest.  He put his hands in it's mouth and nose and pulled the slimy substance out. He picked it up by its back feet and swung it back and forth a few times and put it back down again.  He took grass clumps and rubbed the babies chest and neck.  Harry was checking the mom cow's insides, "Thank God we don't have twins!  They wouldn't have survived that long birth."  After Harry checked the mother over he jumped in to rub the baby down like Hotah was. "She is breathing Harry. We just have to keep stimulating until she responds and gets up.  Harry looked up at Sally and saw the worry on her face.  "Baby girl it is ok this is not completely unusual.  It's alive and it just needs extra stimulation so it will start moving.  The baby cow started yelling and snorting and the men stepped back.  The mother cow came over and started licking and nudging the baby with her nose.  The baby struggled and stood up by it's mother. "Our work here is done folks let's clean up." Harry proclaimed.  Sally stood there in silence and watched the mother and baby react to one another.  That was the most stressful and most beautiful thing she had ever seen.  God's perfect creation, and she couldn't help but miss her mother just a little. "Hey, Sally you ok?" Hotah asked her softly while searching her eyes.  "I would hug you but I am a bloody, gross mess. What's in that beautiful mind of yours?"  She had tears running down her face and wiped them quickly realizing she was quietly crying.  "Oh, nothing I was just thinking about my mom and about the beauty of that moment.  That is the first time I have experienced that kind of event and I was touched." He smiled, "I love your mind, I love your love for nature, it is almost as if you are Lakota somewhere deep inside there."  Sally felt honored by the sentiment and was happy to be compared to the people she had grown to love.  They were the kind of Christians the Bible describes we are supposed to be.  Kind, loving, respectful, honorable, courageous and righteous are many of the things Jesus taught us and these folks are the example of that kind of life and love. " Come on let's go get some lunch Sally I am hungry and I am sure you could use some extra energy after fighting that momma cow." Hotah said, holding out his semi clean hand.  Ok she grabbed it anyway, she didn't care if he was gross and bloody that was what soap was for and she loved the feel of his fingers intermingling with her own.

Harry, Sally, and Hotah sat down at the picnic table outside of the stables, cleaned up and ready to eat.  Maggie brought a picnic basket and placed it before them and Harry smiled up at his wife and then stood up to embrace her and kiss her lips. "What was that for Harry?" Maggie asked.  " I really like my wife, is that a crime?" Harry said and then kissed her again.  Sally and Hotah just looked at each other and smiled.  Watching those two was a treat for everyone. Harry was always preaching that no one loved anyone as much as he loved his wife. 

"While we are all here I have some important information to talk about." Sally exclaimed with a serious face.  "Harry put his hand on top of hers on the table and looked into her eyes, "Baby girl, It is going to be ok.  The reality is we are family no matter where you live or what you do from this point.  This Ranch is always going to be your home, forever.  The people around this table will always be your family.  We will take this one step at a time. Ok, what do we need to know?"  Harry made her feel a lot less stressed about everything and Hotah putting her arm around her shoulders helped her relax too.  "My mom's lawyer called and I have to go back there and start the process of dealing with my life back there.  I need to finalize my school stuff and get my diploma.  I need to find out what my parents' business needs and who that works for because I am the owner of a lot of businesses and property apparently.  I am so overwhelmed to be honest I am not even eighteen yet and I am having to deal with this adult business."  Sally put her head in her hands and rubbed her cheeks.  She was starting to feel a burning in her chest and tummy and her face was flushing and turning red.  The overwhelming feeling in her body was taking over her thoughts again.  Hotah rubbed her back and neck and leaned over to search her eyes. "Sally I will go with you if you want."  He looked with great concern in his face.  Sally grabbed his other hand, "Hotah thank you so much and to be honest that is tempting but you are going to have to run this ranch because Harry has to go with me."  She looks over at Harry, "I will try to hurry the process so you can get back home quickly.  I know you can not leave the ranch or animals for very long.  I need to know when we can leave and how much time I have with you so that I can make all preparations for our meeting with the lawyer.  I'm not sure why you must be there but apparently you do."  Maggie had tears form in her eyes while she was talking and looked at Sally, "It sounds like a wise 35 year old talking to listen to you honey.  You're such a brave, courageous and wise beyond your years young lady.  I see a girl who has turned into a woman and will be ok no matter what life brings."  Sally took the compliment well and smiled, "Thank you Maggie you are such an encouragement to me.  You seem to always know what to say. Harry, you and Maggie talk and find out what time works and let me know. I told him I would call him back and let him know the times." Harry smiles, "Maggie and I already talked, we can leave in the morning and get this chapter over with!  Now let's eat!  I'll pray, Lord, be with us on our chapter and trip, thanks for this food and the beautiful woman you gave me to make it and this young couple before me that I adore!  Amen."