Conflicts

"I wish she'd stop that. It's one of those mating rituals. I don't understand."
-as heard while watching
DEXTER, Season I, Episode I                                                                                                                                                              
Another story found on my bedside pillow while staying at the Inn of the Anasazi in Santa Fe, New Mexico in August 2010 is being shared on my blog today. It's called "The World Catches Fire".
The World Catches Fire
There is a telling about Flycatcher, who lived on the dry prairie. She had her neck on the ground. Coyote was out hunting as usual and saw the young birds in the nest.   He stopped and looked at them.
"What are you doing," he asked.
"Nothing," they replied.
"You look nice and fat. Where is your mother?"
Now Flycatcher had told them that if Coyote should come along, they were to open their mouths wide so as to scare him away. So they opened their mouths as wide as they could.
Coyote ran off to his house in a great fright. Before entering, he looked back and saw the spot where the nest was and the birds with their mouths still wide open and red as fire.
"The world is on fire," he shouted from his roof top to all the other animals.
To his family he cried, "Come, we must go to the river where we shall be safe."
When they arrived, he made all his family jump into the water. They swam around until they became tired and drowned.
The other animals waited, but nothing could be seen of the burning world. So they decided to see where Coyote and his family had gone. They followed the footprints to the river.
Then they said, "Because Coyote is so cowardly, he always finds trouble before it can find him. That is how Thought Woman said it would be."
And that is how it all happened.
Twenty five years ago today:
October 10, 1985
Thursday

Well, I worked four hours of overtime. I arrived to work at 8AM and I was released at 9PM. The one good thing about it is that I don’t have to deal with the excess traffic in getting home.

There is a mighty aura of change in my Section G now. There is the Margaret Lai vs. Cindy Chow war going on. And there is the conflict between Dale and me. Stephanie Bautista, the boss, talked to me yesterday. I told her about it. I didn’t give names but I did say that someone from a completely different office (namely my sister-in-law, Helen Wong-Armijo) told me some unbelievable stories that she happened to hear through the grapevine.
I explained to Stephanie, “Dale tells his own version of stories as you know. Then he says that he has read my private journal which adds credibility to whatever he says.”
“Really?” Steph asked with a puzzled look.
“The crazy thing is that he hasn’t read my journal. I just don’t appreciate his whole lifestyle, eyeing every Tom, Dick and Harry.”
I meant what I said literally. Other things that Dale does seem so miniscule but when added up they equal something major.

Dale seems to think Margaret Lai has influenced me in some way. She hasn’t done so at all. Dale has been ignoring both Margaret and I. He doesn’t even utter a “hello” on any given day.
I say, “If he wants to hold a grudge…then fine.”
I still have to work with him though. I wonder if he regrets giving his son, Andrew, the middle name of ‘Michael Joe’.

It’s taken me long enough to know the real Dale.
“He’s got a lot of growing-up to do,” Stephanie said in his defense.
“I agree.”
Steph continued, “I should talk with him and tell him.”
“I think so.”
I truly don’t want to give him names, dates and details. I may brush over the facts in a letter to him one day.

I’ve been taking breaks with Margaret lately. I do enjoy her company. She wants me to bring my niece, Ashley, out to San Francisco one Saturday or Sunday.
“We can go out and have Dim Sum and then we can dress Ashley like a real China Doll.”
I laughed.
“I think that would be fun. I really want to do that. I know Ashley would enjoy it, too.”

I was tired by the time nine o’clock rolled around. I went home and did my aerobics tape up to the Advanced Waist training section. Then I showered and crashed for the night. I felt a little guilty because I didn’t complete the entire workout tape.
I thought, “Hell, it was a long work day today!”

Mom had spoken to me on the phone earlier today.
Mom said, “John came over.”
“Yeah, what did he say?”
“Well, he depressed me because he and Sherri are breaking-up.”
“You know, mom, it’s better for Ashley to be in a loving environment than to be around them fighting all of the time.”
I guess Sherri ‘sort of’ wants to get married to John and have another baby (a boy this time). John’s not so gung-ho over the idea. I guess (and I’m sure) it’s tough to be in his position. I mean, he’s a bartender and he surely sees beautiful women who order drinks from him. And then he has to go home to deal with Sherri’s bickering and non-house cleaning ways. I do care about John and Ashley’s well-being. Does that sound ludicrous? They are a part of me. They are my bloodline so-to-speak. Correction: They ARE my bloodline.

"We each make our own decisions in life."
-North Face, 2008, German film