It was a perfect July day, topped with just enough humidity to hint that it was also monsoon season. Mary Ellen dragged out the chaise lawn chair and placed it in the shaded side of the building. Now she could loll as she watched out for customers. Her brother was running things inside the station/mart. She was in charge of helping anybody who wanted full service at the pumps.
Most folks, especially locals, used self-service. But this was the vacation season and some tourists were likely to stop by since this particular gas station with convenience shop was well cared for and appealing. All in all, however, Mary Ellen figured this was probably not going to be an exciting day. If she wanted excitement, she needed to resort to her day dreams.
Because, to be honest, nothing much ever happened in Many Farms, Arizona. There were about four hundred homes scattered through the town. Over eighty-eight percent were Navajo. Mary Ellen’s dad, Joe, was one of the seven percent of white residents. Joe Armstrong had grown up back east. In Vietnam, however, he’d served with two Navajo cousins. After the war, Joe came out on a visit and, after meeting Betty Goodluck, he never left. Mary Ellen wrinkled her nose while contemplating her mother mentally; her father liked to tease her that she had a long way to go to catch up with Betty’s beauty.
Beauty! Mary Ellen was all in favor of beauty. There was lovely scenery to be found in the area, and down the highway all of fifteen miles was Canyon de Chelly. But beauty did not always provide excitement, and on the whole, days like these in town could be downright boring.
She was going to the local community college, but working hard on her grades to transfer. She’d applied for a scholarship to ASU, but wouldn’t know anything for a few months yet. Stifling a yawn, Mary Ellen contemplated an exciting future once she was freed from the bonds of reservation and family.
She didn’t mean to be ungrateful, but there was so much to see and do out in the big world. Sometimes when she watched programs on television she’d feel an internal itching to be away from all that was too familiar. Recently, however, she also picked up a sense of unhappiness in the themes of real world and fantasy stories. A practical girl, she realized her loving family and everyday environment insulated her from things she’d be happier not knowing about. Nevertheless, Mary Ellen was ready for a taste of something…new.
A sleek red convertible pulled into the court section for full service. Mary Ellen jumped out of the lounge chair and ran lightly over to the vehicle. Despite the coat of red dust clinging to its body, she noted it was a 2014 Porsche Boxter, a real luxury model. She always looked at cars first, and then their inhabitants. When she finally turned her attention to the driver, who was grinning widely at her awestruck expression, she did a double-take.
One of the most popular shows on television in the last few years was called “Wonder Quest” and starred a dashing young man who traveled through time battling various forces of evil. The guy behind the wheel of the Porsche resembled the actor: long black hair spilling over his shirt collar and a bronzed skin Polynesian face graced with high cheekbones and an eloquent nose. Mary Ellen had strong reactions to male noses, but this man couldn’t possibly be Neville Kalani, could he? Not in Many Farms!
(Continued next week)
