As the Eagle Flies. J. D. Oliver

to call for an appointment, and then we can go to breakfast?” I said. As I dropped my robe and reached for my pants.

      “Would you really do that for me? Teddy never did anything that he didn’t consider manly.” Faith said as she switched feeding outlets.

      “Sure, what’s the big deal about calling for a hair appointment for you? I’m not the one getting my hair done.” I said, as I buckled my belt and went to the phone. Turns out she could get in about 10:00 this very morning. We finished getting dressed, the three of us. One thing about Alita; she was a happy child. She never cried or fussed unless of course she was hungry or had a dirty diaper. I guess I would be little cross also if I was hungry or had crapped my pants.

      When we got to the dinning room, Frank and Fern Blake were already seated and was reading the morning paper and sipping their morning coffee. They both looked up as we entered. The look on their faces was one of two very perplexed people.

      The hostess seated us at the next table to them. Franks expression was one of almost fear, bordering on envy. Now Fern was another story altogether; her eyes were flitting back and forth between the two of us. You could tell she full of millions of questions. Well maybe not millions, but a lot anyway. Faith smiled at her and that was all it took; here she came and pulling up an extra chair she sat down. The only thing that saved us was the fact that her food came a couple of seconds later.

      We ordered, also we ordered some cream of wheat for Alita, this was to be her first time; out side of prepared baby food. She really liked it. Of course we didn’t feed her all that much; just enough to know that she liked it.

      The Blake’s were done with their food and drinking more coffee by the time we finished eating. Faith looked at her watch, she had ten minute’s before her hair appointment. As Fern came up, Faith said, “I’m sorry we don’t have too much time to talk, I have a hair appointment at ten.”

      “You do? So do I, perhaps we can talk there, if that would be alright?” Fern said.

      “Sure, that would be fine, here Clay, will you take Alita for me?”

      “You bet, she’s no problem at all.” I said. As I wet a napkin and washed her face. The baby’s face; not Faith’s. Alita just made a little face, as all kids do when you wash their faces. Then she grabbed the wet napkin and gave it a toss, it landed in Frank’s coffee cup.

      “Oh, I’m sorry Frank, here let me call the waitress, she will get you a clean cup.” I said.

      “No, don’t, I’ve had enough anyway, we were just killing time; till you folks got done so we could talk to you.”

      “Okay, come set over here. What’s on your mind?” I said.

      “Well, we read the morning paper; we couldn’t help but see your pictures and read the story. Those men, the two you killed and the other one were with that Dipper Tick in the office the other day. I just thought you would like to know.” Frank said, as he was twisting a napkin into knots. Alita was watching him, she looked at me and motioned for me to give her a napkin to play with. I did.

      Frank was still talking, but I wasn’t paying much attention; I was watching Alita. She tore off part of the napkin; dipping it in what was left of her cream of wheat she rolled it up into a ball and then she tossed it toward Frank’s coffee cup that held her other napkin; it landed in the coffee cup on the other table. Then she tore off another piece and did the same thing. Damn, she was not only bright, but she hit what she was aiming at. I never told her to stop it; I just handed her more napkins.

      The waitress had been watching us, she was a blue eyed red head. I bet she was as Irish as they came. She came over, “Is there anything more that you want?” She said as she laid more napkins on the tray of Alita’s high chair.

      “No, I don’t think so, just the bill I guess.” I said, as I winked at her. No I wasn’t hitting on her, she knew what I meant. She reached out and ruffled Alita’s hair.

      Frank’s voice came back into my consciousness. “So therefore, I just wanted to let you know if there is anything I can do for you, be sure and let me know.”

      “I will Frank, but if they come back around; this is my satellite cell phone number,” I wrote it down on a piece of napkin and handed it to him. He looked at it. I continued, “Just call anytime, either Faith or myself will answer it.”

      Alita and I went back to our room, I changed her diaper and asked her, “Do you want to go swimming?” She gurgled and clapped her hands. I took that as a yes. I put her little swimming suit on her. And changed into mine. There was a young family with three small children already in the pool. They were trying to teach the kids to swim. It’s a fact that most kids that grow up in the high desert do not know how to swim. They have a hard time finding water deep enough to swim in. This family looked like they were of that fold.

      I sat Alita down in the shallow end; she sank to the bottom and then started to swim along the bottom and then she came up for air and then back down. The mother of the family was staring at us.

      “How in the world did you teach her to do that?” She asked me.

      “I didn’t, my wife and Fern Blake gave her a lesson yesterday. I guess she’s just a natural,” I said. Her children were watching. Her youngest was probably just under two, she watched for a little bit, then she just dropped under water and started to do the same thing as Alita was doing. The younger children start to swim, the better they do.

      We spent the next hour there; helping the other two children, they also picked it up fast. The parent’s names were Harry and Sally, I didn’t pick up on their last name. But I did find out they worked for a ranch not to far from our own. They were on a small vacation.

      Alita and I had just came back to our room, when Faith got back. I was stunned; in walked a dark haired brunette. Alita stared at her. So did I. “What, what did you do?” I said.

      “I had it dyed, do you like it?” She said. Now my Mother didn’t raise any idiots.

      “Yeah, I think I do,” I said. “But, you’re sort of mismatched aren’t you?” I said.

      “I already thought about that,” she said, holding up a small box, “this dye is made especially for pubic hair, will you help me with it tonight?”

      “Sure, I guess so. But why did you want to dye your hair?” I asked.

      “Cause. You know, maybe you don’t; but I was a blond with Theodore. I want to forget about him, not that I haven’t, but, this is my new life, the only thing I want to remind me of him is Alita. Are you sure you like it?”

      “Yes, I definitely do. It makes you look not only sexy; but deadly so. I could almost call you Elmira. Wow! Too bad Alita isn’t asleep.”

      “Oh, that can wait, we have all of our lives to look forward to.” She said, as she kissed me and plastered herself against me. She untangled herself, then sighed and said, “I guess I had better tell you the truth; I was never a natural blond. I’m sorry if I deceived you. Are you mad at me?”

      “No, of course not. I fell in love with you; not the color of your hair.” I said, kissing the nape of her neck. She moaned a little bit, then said,

      “Honey, you had better stop that; Alita is staring at us.” I pulled back, not because of what she said, but because our phone was ringing.

      It was Cort, “Sorry to disturb you,” He said, “but the inquest was put on fast forward, it’s this afternoon, can the two of you make it?”

      “Sure, no problem, but we’ll have to bring Alita with us; we don’t have a baby sitter. Will that be Okay? I said.

      “I don’t know why not, that’ll be a good touch anyway. That Dipper Tick made bail for Delbert Washington; even though it was set at five hundred thousand. I half way hope he jumps bail; we could use the money.”

      “Will they be at the inquest?” I asked.

      “I don’t know