20. Tammy’s tour begins

Jasmine’s heart sank as she heard the automated recorded message "All circuits are busy now.  Please try again later."

Violet could tell from the expression on Jasmine’s face, and the muffled drone-like tones coming from the phone speaker.  “Text her.  Do you have a secret code?  You do have a mother-daughter code, right?”

“Yes of course.”  Jasmine sent the text:
"I am OK. They found me. No one was hurt or anything bad. I am leaving this house and New York and hiding somewhere else.  There are 10 people — warriors, but you don't see them — watching over your well being now, but you need to leave also.  Someone will come to guide you no later than tomorrow morning.  Destroy your phone with a hammer into small pieces.  Do it now.  Love Morihei Ueshiba"

Tammy had just lied down in her bed after a long day.  They had harvested the late-winter crop of corn, and shucked and shucked and shucked all day long, on top of the regular daily chores.  She turned on her phone, and started to surf the U.S. news websites.  Then the text message from her mom came through.  Her fear for her mom started to elevate exponentially in the next few minutes, almost reaching panic state, as she smashed her phone, cutting herself off from the world — and her mom — again.  She did nothing to prepare herself to leave.

Then came a soft knock on the door.  It was Father Hernandez.  “Some young man is here to see you.  He said your mother sent him, but he is Mexican, so I turned him away.  But he insisted I come ask you now.  He said your mother already told you to go with him.  Is this true?”

“Yes.  I just got the text message, and was worried about my mom” Tammy said, a look of despair on her face.

“Your mom told me that the American government is chasing her and you.  How do you know it was your mom who texted you?  It could be faked.”

“She sent the secret code name, Morihei Ueshiba.”

Father Hernandez was stunned.  He was just reading about this incredibly remarkable Japanese man, a leader in the ways of peace minutes before this night visitor arrived.  His mind flashed back to what Juan told him Father Thomas said about Jasmine being on a mission from God.  Then he thought of the Muslim-Arab saying "trust in God, but tie your horses."  He asked Tammy “did your mom ever text that to you before?  Does anyone else know about it?”

“No, not that I remember.  No.  Not ever.  We haven’t even talked about it since I was … like … 13.”

“Do you want to come talk to this young man?”

Tammy felt real fear, even being inside the Church, for the first time since coming into Mexico.  “Can you bring him in here and stay with us while we talk?” she quietly asked Father Hernandez.

She fidgeted around the room doing nothing, picking things up, putting them down, not thinking about what she was doing, only worrying about her mom.  Less than 2 minutes later, Father Hernandez returned, escorting and introducing Gorgé.  For Tammy, it was love at first site.  She had seen plenty of cute guys in her life before, but this guy … something about him … something about his face … was irresistible to her.  She smiled and wilted, as he held out his hand of greeting, and she took it.

He was a dark-brown-skinned young man with black hair, and facial features that signified his First Nations Native American heritage.  He removed his "cowboy hat" to reveal his thick wavy hair was short-to-medium length, slicked back and groomed with style.  He wore a loose, long-sleeve white button down shirt and blue jeans, and local hand-made made sandals fashioned from old tires and scrap leather.  A necklace of flower blooms hung around his neck.  “Here this is for you.  Hawaiˀian style, even though we are in Mexico” he said with a thick accent, smiling brightly.  He removed the lei from his neck, and put it around hers.

She almost blushed as she smiled back at him.  She noticed the round silver and gold pendant that had been hiding under the lei on his chest.  He saw the curiosity in her eyes and said “that’s the Mayan Yin-Yang, the Hunab Ku: symbol of the inherent order and balance in the opposing forces of the universe.  But I’m not Mayan; they lived farther south.  I’m Huichol, from the nearby mountains.  Where are you from?”

“I grew up in America, near New York city, in New Jersey.  Nothing like here.  This is beautiful here.  It is just a big dirty city where I live.”

“I've been to Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Idaho in America; and I drove though Wyoming.  Not the east.  Oh, and Hawaiˀi — the Big Island, if you call that America.  You have an interesting look.  Where are your parents from?”

“Well, they both lived around New York City, but I guess you are asking about my bloodline?  My mother is half Black and half Japanese, and my father was Mexican.  But I never got to meet him.”

“That’s a shame.  Maybe someday you will!” he said to Tammy with more than hope in his voice.  She just smiled back.  They shared a not-so-awkward moment of silence together, smiling.  Then Gorgé continued “And it is a shame your mom is in trouble, but she has friends, more than she even knows.  We are looking out for her.  Don’t worry.  There are many, many of us.  And we will make sure YOU are O.K., too.  Don’t worry.  We can have fun at the beach down south of Acapulco.  Or any where else in Mexico you want to go?  Do you like the mountains?  I should take you to El Sótano de Las Golondrinas on the way to the beach.  Do you like birds?  That’s one of the most beautiful natural places you can ever see.  And my family has friends near there.  I heard they had a good growing season in the mountains there; they probably have plenty of fresh food to share with us as we pass through.  Before you know it, you will be back with your mom and wishing your vacation here wasn’t ending.”

Father Hernandez added to the conversation “you are always welcome back here, also, if you like, Tammy.  We will miss you.  And we thank you greatly for your help here.”

Tammy replied “I love it here!  I don’t want to leave, but I guess I have to.  Thank you Father Hernandez.  I’ll miss you.  I loved our long evening talks when we had time.  And I’ll really miss the kids.”

Small talk continued for a moment between the three, then Gorgé said “I hate to be pushy, but I was told it is important that we leave long before the sun rises; they say the satellites in the sky can see us in the day.  Have you ever ridden a horse?”

“Only on the way here.  It was O.K.”

“Ah, the old worn peregrino quarter horses.  Those nags are easy-going, and know their way on those old trails already.  I mean really RIDE a horse.  Guess not.  I brought a special one for you.  I think you’ll like her, but who knows?  Horses are like people.  This one is finicky, but when she likes her rider, she’s one of the best.”

They walked outside and met Sophia.  She was an all-white mare, not too big, but clearly healthy and muscular.  Eating grass beside her was Potter, a solid black stallion.  Both were saddled and loaded with saddlebags full of food and water, and blanket rolls were tied just behind the saddles.  The third horse was a Appaloosa named Cloud; he was a large pack horse, with more food, pots and pans, two small modern nylon camping tents, and other supplies.  Gorgé handed Tammy a carrot with the greens still hanging on.  “Put the small end in your mouth and let her take it from you.  She’ll love you forever.”  And so Tammy got her first kiss in Mexico from a horse, as she gently stroked the horse’s face.

“Father, may I get some water for the horses?  We have a long journey tonight.” Gorgé turned to Tammy and said “we will travel at night for the next few days and sleep in the early morning, until we get out of this area.”

Father Hernandez told him to use the buckets next to the well in the back of the churchgrounds, as Gorgé rolled up his sleeves to prepair for the slosh, reveiling the same 7-point sun tattooed on his inner forearm that was hidden within the ring that Father Thomas gave to Jasmine — a circle with 7 rays surrounding.  Father Hernandez continued after directing Gorgé to the well “I see you are of the Family of the Sunlight.”

“Yes, my Brother Hernandez.”

Father Hernandez smiled back.  He turned to Tammy and said, smiling, “I think you are in good hands now.  Be safe and well on your journey.  And have fun!  It sounds like you might!”

Tammy retrieved her small backpack from her room in the Church, gave Father Hernandez a big long hug, and rode away behind Geogé in the dimming light of the setting first quarter moon into the tall grass beyond the corn fields, toward the mountains on the horizon, under the twinkling stars of the ¡3-dimensional! Milky Way in a perfectly clear sky, a sight she had never seen before, never came close to imagining could be so perfect.