letters from an empty trailer
the Valley of Decision
chapter thirty
The trailer was clean enough now to move into. Axle reattached the solar array to the roof mounts he had installed years ago. The four 12-volt cell batteries were all dead, and it was going to take a few days to recharge them. Maybe less in the endless clear skies of Arizona.
After cleaning out the electrical battery cupboard and checking the inverter and other components in the back of the trailer. He started assembling the wind generator back together. Angela gathered all the bedding that was now refreshed hanging on the line all day. She made the bed and when leaving the bedroom, looked back at their cute little sleeping space and smiled.
The trailer was coming together again. Before bed, Axle reminded her that coating the trailer in adobe brick, would drastically cool down the trailer in summer and would make it easier to heat in the cooler winters. “All that work?” she said. “I don’t mind doing it, or at least get started making brick. It would be a labor of love.
“So, it would be like a house, with in a house?” she asked.
“Ya, kind of!”
“What do you think Reds doing? He knows were here, why is he waiting?” Asked Angela, out of the blue.
“We could also start raising elephants?”
“I don’t like it one bit, is unnerving as hell, somethings wrong?” continued Angela.
“What, raising elephant’s?” Elephants, Axle what are you talking about?” said Angela confused.
“You haven’t stopped thinking about this all day. I’m trying to lighten you up! Its getting you nowhere, its wasted energy.”
“But it helps me, maybe talking about it with help” stated Angela. With reservation in her tone.
“Sorry darling,” replied Axle, “talking is cathartic even writing about it.”
Axle looked out the trailer door, into the cold diamond sky, its wonder never failed to amaze him. He thought of the old woman living alone up in her cave. To modern standards it would seem dreadful. But Axle knew the woman was probably a lot happier and content than most people. That couldn’t even imagine that she existed, in those conditions?
The weird desert wind abated sometime during the night, it was the first real night together in the trailer since they arrived. It was nice not waking up by the flapping plastic sheet window. Angela woke first and in the still dark morning dug up all the coals from the fire pit. Having no batteries yet, and not able to use the stove she but the coals in the grill and lit a fire in them.
She could see fire light reflecting off the canyon walls up by the old woman’s cave. She thought of the differences between city life and the old woman’s life. About just getting up and turning a dial and cooking, to chopping wood, and building a fire to cook.
At first light, after coffee and porridge, they headed up past the prayer stone. The horses were standing asleep, the burrows were already grazing. When Axle wasn’t looking, Angela pilfered a cup of sugar from their supplies. When they arrived, the woman had two fires going separated by a few feet, with pod in a huge pile between them.
They acknowledged one another, and Angela slipped the cup of sugar quickly into the old woman’s hands and smiled, the old woman smiled back and put the sugar aside. She then took an old long handled shovel with barely any blade left and began digging out coals from the fires and intermingled them with the Palo Verde pods, stirring them around gently.
Axle took note of her dwelling. The cave looked small in the dim light, from the outside someone, probably her sons, had sealed it off with a flat stone wall, that you could see light coming through a small fire. The small entrance had a thick colorfully designed mat or rug.
The two of them just stood and watched her work. Once she finished toasting all the pods, she disappeared in side her dwelling with the sugar. Angela and Axle stood in the cool morning air looking at one another shivering. After a few minutes the woman stuck her head out looking bewildered, and waved for them to come in.
They were both amazed at her living space. The cave was only about fifteen feet deep with clean solid rock walls, sealed off by the stone work. It was about twenty feet wide. Her sleeping area was on a bed of flat stone, covered by layers of cloth madding. And topped off by finely woven mats, and colorful blankets on top. They both would be happy living there.
Her little cooking pit kept the place toasty warm, and with the gentle curve of the rock ceiling, allowed the smoke to rise straight up and flow out the stacked rock wall. She had thick woven throw carpets all around the floor. And heavy stumps for sitting. A large stainless-steel pot hung from a wrought iron tripod. And she had a thick baroque grill, resting on two heavy stones that looked like man-made bricks with a cast ion fry pan on top. They saw an oil lantern, and a flashlight beside her bed.
These were the only modern implements they could see.
The floor was bumpy and uneven, with a few pot holes, that she had long ago learned to avoid. Axle wondered why her sons hadn’t filled them in for her? Although she spoke very little English, Axle wanted to covey to her that he would like to fix the cave floor. Luckily, he told Angela about his wishes, and she elbowed him lightly in the ribs.
The breakfast she was cooking smelled delicious, and although a bit spicy for their taste that early in the morning, it was good. Wonderfully designed crochet tapestries hung everywhere, along with heavy woven carpets made from her small loom near the entrance way for light.
Angela loved one in particular and wanted to buy it from her. But felt it rude to ask? After about a hour of eating and near silence, Axles jaw started to hurt from smiling. She motioned with her arm to the doorway. Angela stepped out first followed by Angela. But the old woman didn’t follow.
They stood they’re in silence in the weak cool morning sun, as before looking at each other wondering if they should leave? And as they were about too, she appeared from under the door flap, holding the heavy carpet Angela was admiring. She proudly presented it to Angela and pointed down to the trailer.
Axle reared back, in horror, when caught a glimpse of a crouching mountain lion partly hidden behind some rocks, and grass ruffs. The old woman had her back to the cougar but noticed Axles shocked appearance. She left the rug in Angela’s arms and turn to see what was bothering him so much. Then she smiled and turned back to them. And fluffing off the lion with an arm movement.
When Angela noticed it, she jumped back and stood over beside Axle. The woman started blabbering about something to them in her native tongue. Axle caught enough English words to understand it was some kind of pet. When he told Angela. She wasn’t convinced. The old woman fearing the lion was upsetting her quest she waddled over toward the lion and chased it off playfully.
Angela held up the folded rug to the old lady, in a thank you very much jester, and turned and hustled away down the path. Axle followed after politely bowing to her. When she got to the prayer stone and was convince the cat wasn’t following them, she let open the rug to its full splendor. “Have you any idea the worth of this rug darling?” she stated. Like it was the best gift shed ever received.
“Priceless!” she said, Folding it back up. “priceless.”
The coyote was back sniffing about, but this time it took its time moving off, which annoyed Axle. “I’ll shoot a few rounds near you next time.” Yelled Axle to the retreating animal. “Then you’ll know whose boss!”
“I knew lions lived in the desert but I never thought one was my actual neighbor?” said Angela.
“He doesn’t seem to bother the horses?” replied Axle. “If he drinks at the spring, he does it quietly, and probably late at night.”
“Remember you wanted to put in a window to look at the horses?” she said to him.
“Ya,”
“Do it!” replied Angela. “Next time were in town, we’ll get two heavy pains of glass.”
“How in the hell are we going to get them back here. “Asked Axle. “We always used Reds jeep before?”
“You’ll think of something,” Replied Angela laughing. Angela folded out the thick well-made carpet on the floor. “Look Axle, those are Squash flowers.”
Dan Ger