Tommy - The Trials and Tribulations of a Girl? - Chapter 61

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Tommy
The Trials and Tribulations of a Girl?

A Novel By Teddie S.

Copyright © 2018 Teddie S.
All Rights Reserved.

Chapter 61
The last bonfire and the journey home.

Tonight was our last night in New Mexico. My two aunts had done Ajie's and my hair. And we were at a bonfire in long skirts and fancy blouses. This would be our last bonfire of this year.

And along with some friends Chief Peshlakai was also here. Why?

Chief Kinlicheeny and Naainish had brought him along to apologize for what he’d done at the dance competition. He tried to apologize, but I wasn’t in the mood to accept it. So, instead, I gave him a piece of my mind.

The three of them, Chief Kinlicheeny, Chief Peshlakai, and Naainish, had talked after Ajie, Uncle Paul, and I had walked away from them. And now the three of them were walking towards us.

Now what?

As the three of them walked up to us, Chief Kinlicheeny said to me, “Kai, you are leaving us tomorrow. And I can’t let you leave while you’re still angry. It wouldn’t be a good thing. So please sit and talk with us.”

I looked at Chief Kinlicheeny, then at Naainish, and then at Chief Peshlakai. I then looked back at Chief Kinlicheeny, and said, “You’re right Chief. Being mad at someone isn’t good. Let’s go someplace quiet.”

“Do you want me to go with you, Kai.”, my uncle asked.

“No, Uncle Paul. We’ll be fine.”

Ajie and I led the two Chiefs, and Naainish over to where the barbecue was held and to one of the tables. It was dark, but there was enough Moonlight so that you could see.

As we sat, Chief Kinlicheeny said, “Kai and Ajie. Naainish and I think that Chief Peshlakai has seen the errors of his ways. And is truly sorry for what he did.”

I looked at Naainish. And he said, “Yes, Kai. I do feel that he has seen his errors.”

I looked at Chief Peshlakai, and said, “I guess it’s not good to be mad at the Chief of your clan. Chief, I can forgive you for now. But I won’t forget. Please don’t give me a reason to regret that I’ve accepted your apology.”

“Kai.”, Chief Peshlakai said. “And Ajie, I am truly sorry for what I did. It was stupid. You are trying to do something good for the Navajo people, and I almost ruined it. I promise you that I will do everything in my power to help make this scholarship work.”

I just looked at Chief Peshlakai for a minute, reached out my hand, and said, “Chief, I accept your apology. And I hope that we never go through this again.”

The Chief took my hand, and said, “Kai, believe me when I say, I sincerely apologize to you and Ajie. I’ve learned from Naainish and others how special you are.”

We shook hands. The Chief then looked at Ajie, and said, “Ajie, I hope that you will accept my apology too?”

Ajie held out her hand, and said, “Chief, I feel like Kai does about this scholarship. It’s very important to us. And if Kai can forgive, so can I. But as she said, I won't forget.”

Ajie and the Chief shook hands.

As we were standing up, Chief Peshlakai, said, “Kai, I know your history of being a two spirit person. And you are a powerful woman. And I’ll bet, as a man you are just as strong.”

I saw Ajie smile, then she said, “Chief, when his male side is here, I’m the strong one.”

I looked at her, and said, “When we were at the cabin, who was afraid of the bear and didn’t want to go hiking?”

“Me.”

“Not only strong but smart.”, Naainish said. “The Mountain People are not to be fooled with.”

“Naainish.”, I said, “You're supposed to be on my side.”

“Sorry, Kai. But I know where the real power is.”

That got smiles from everyone except me. I frowned and shook my head.

I then said, “You’ll have to excuse us. We have some people that we need to say so long too.”

Ajie stood up, and said, “Nizhonigó íiná aadóó hozhónahasdlíí. Hágoónee'.” (It is good, and all is harmony around us. See you later.)

I saw Naainish grin. And then the three of them said, “Hágoónee'.”

And Naainish added, “Yes. You will be back. We will see you later.”

Ajie and I shook hands with the two Chiefs, and Naainish got hugs.

“Kai. Ajie.”, Naainish said. “May I walk with you?”

“Of course.”, I said.

After we were out of earshot of the two Chiefs, Naainish said, “Kai, you don’t trust Chief Peshlakai. Do you?”

“No, I don’t.”, I said. “Once bitten, twice shy. Do you trust him?”

“Not completely. He appears to be someone who is out for his own gain.”

“I agree.”

“He deserves watching. And I will.”

“Does Chief Kinlicheeny truly trust him?”

“I think Chief Kinlicheeny didn’t want you to go home mad. And I have to agree with that. But, as I said Chief Peshlakai deserves watching.”

“Naainish, you I trust fully. And please let me know if anything comes up.”

“You know I will.”

When we were back at the bonfire, we saw Dibe standing with my grandmother, and aunts and uncles. She saw us and ran up to us. She gave both Ajie and me big hugs, and said, “Don’t go home.”

“We have to.”, I said. “School starts soon, and we’re seniors.”

“I’m a senior too.”

“We know. Have you started looking at colleges?”

“Yes. My counselor and I have found some good premed schools.”

“How are your grades?”

“I almost have a four-point average. I only have three classes that I received a “B” in.”

I looked at Ajie, and said, “Sounds like someone else that I know. An overachiever.”

“So are you.”, Ajie shot back. Then she asked Dibe how her test scores were?

Dibe told us that she’d taken both sets of the college entrance tests and did well, finishing in the eighty-ninth percentile on both. She also said that her mother was a nurse and works at an Indian clinic. And that she had been going to work with her mother and working there, for free, and once the doctors found out what she wanted to do they let her do more and more. Ajie told her that was an excellent thing to do. And it showed her willingness to learn and help.

Then Dibe said, “My mom and dad can’t say enough about you. Dad really wants to do an article on you. And mom just says that you’re a wonderful person.”

“You’re going make me blush.”, I said.

“And grandma. When she hears your name, she just smiles.”

“Remember, when she first met me it was as Tom. And I saw a big smile from her at the competition when she figured it out,”

Dibe then had to leave, so after some more hugs she ran off.

Ajie and I wandered around talking with people and saying so long to those we knew, like the musicians and singer, and other members of the resort staff.

We finally found my aunts, uncles, and grandmother. And my grandmother asked, “How did things go with the chiefs and Naainish?”

“Okay.”, I replied. “We have an understanding with Chief Peshlakai.”

“Do you think he’ll stand by it?”

“I hope he will. But I really don’t trust him. And if he doesn’t, I have an ace up my sleeve.”

“An ace up your sleeve?”, my Uncle Paul asked.

“Yes, Dibe’s father.”

“Oh. The reporter.”

I just smiled, and said, “I just hope that I don’t need to use that card.”

Then I said, “I think Ajie and I are going to turn in. We want to catch a sunrise tomorrow morning.”

“Okay, kids.”, Aunt Ruth said. “We’ll see you in the morning. And Ginny and Gaagii are spending the night.”

“As late as it is, I thought that they might be.”

We said goodnight to everyone and headed back to the house. And we did go to bed after Amy removed the braids from my hair and put it into a man’s single braid.

On Monday morning we were up early. We dressed, and yes I was Tom. Then we quietly walked out of the house, and to the cliff trail. We were the first ones up on the cliff, so we were alone with our thoughts for a while before more and more guests slowly joined us. We were again happy to see wolves this morning. And we were able to explain to some of the guests about the wolves.

The Sunrise this morning was gorgeous. It had reds and yellows in it. I whispered to Amy, “Red sky at night, sailors' delight. Red sky at morning, sailors take warning.”

“Yeah. I know.”, Amy whispered. “But we won’t be here later.”

“Sad?”

“Very.”

“Honey. Just realize that we’ll be together.”

“That’s the only thing that makes it bearable.”

“Ayóó anííníshní.”

“Ayóó anííníshní aldó’.” (I love you too.)

We stood there until the sun crested the horizon, then we slowly walked back down the trail. I deliberately led us past the fire pit. We stopped and stood there for a couple of minutes. As we started to walk away, I bent over and picked up two small pieces of unburned wood. I handed one to Amy, turned towards the fire pit and tossed my piece of wood into it. Amy followed my lead.

We finished walking to the house, and as we walked into the kitchen, we found my Aunt Ruth and Aunt Ginny just starting breakfast. Aunt Ruth turned, and said, “Hi kids. Did you see a nice Sunrise?”

“It was full of reds and yellows.”, Amy said.

“We may well have a thunderstorm later.

“I’m planning on a typical New Mexico breakfast if you’re interested?”

“Of course.", I said. "But let us help?”

“No. Not today. You’re leaving later, and we want to do this for you.”

“Okay, Aunt Ruth. Is grandma coming to breakfast?”

“She’ll be here in a few minutes.”

“Do I have time to run her car down to Francisco?”

“Yes. But make it quick.”

I grabbed the keys, and asked, “Amy, wanna go for a ride?”

“No.”, Amy replied. “I’ll stay here and talk with our aunts.”

“Okay. I’ll be right back.”

As I went out the door, I almost ran over grandma, and she said, “Slow down, child.”

“Sorry, grandma.”, I said.

“Where are you off to in such a hurry?”

“I’m taking your car to Francisco.”

“You don’t have to.”

“Will you?”

“Maybe.”

“That’s what I thought. I’ll take it to him. That way I’ll know it’s there.”

I took grandma’s car down to the service building. As I handed the keys to Francisco, he said, “I thought a young lady was bring the car?”

So as not to have to explain, I said, “She asked me to bring it. Next time you see Mr. Biakeddy ask him about the girl. Her name is Kai Nez.”

I turned and ran towards my aunt and uncle’s house. As I walked into the house, the smell was wonderful. Breakfast was cooking. And there was Amy making frybread. This breakfast was going to be great.

Along with the frybread, this New Mexico breakfast consisted of eggs, beans, red chilies, and chorizo sausage. Oh yum!

Of course, while we ate we talked. One thing that came up was last night, my Aunt Ginny said, “Tom, I think you’re right in not trusting Chief Peshlakai. I’ve heard things around the Council office.”

“It doesn’t surprise me, Aunt Ginny.”, I said.

In case you didn’t remember, my Aunt Ginny works for the Navajo Nation Council.

Then I looked at my grandmother, and I knew what she was thinking, and I said, “Grandma, I know what you’re thinking. And I want you to promise me that you’ll let things happen as they happen.”

“Tom.”, my grandma said. “If it comes to you or Amy being hurt physically or in any other way, I will do something about it.”

“Grandma don’t.”

She just looked at me, and I knew that there was no way that I was going to win this argument.

After we finished eating, we insisted on cleaning up, and after a discussion, Amy and I did the dishes. Then we went back to our room to finish our packing. Just as we were finishing, there was a knock on the door, and my Aunt Ruth said, “Kids can I come in?”

“Sure, Aunt Ruth.”, I said.

My aunt walked in carrying a camera bag, and as she set it on the bed, she said, “Here’s that camera bag.”

“I almost forgot about that. Thanks.”

“If you need help carrying things to the car let your uncles know.”

“Will do.”

Amy and I opened the safe and put all the jewelry in the camera case. There was room to spare. Amy did wear some of it. A pair of the silver feather earrings, and a bracelet. Me, I just wore the small silver diamond shaped earrings with the turquoises inlays. Both of us, of course, were wearing our meteorite necklaces.

For the drive, we were both wearing shorts and sneakers. Amy wore one of the fancy blouses, and I wore a ribbon shirt. We took a careful look around the room, and we didn’t find anything that we’d missed. As I started to pick up the suitcases, I heard a deep sigh out of Amy. I looked at her, and said, “Sweetheart, I know. I don’t want to leave either. But we have to.”

She sadly looked at me, and just said, “I know.”

She picked up a suitcase and the camera bag, and I carried two suitcases out of the bedroom. We walked through the house, and I told her to leave the camera bag for last. So Amy set it on the kitchen counter.

When I came back in to grab the last suitcase and the garment bag, there was a large brown paper bag sitting next to the camera bag. I grabbed the last suitcase and the garment bag and took them to the car.

I came back into the house, and Amy was holding on to our cowboy hats.

I won’t go into our so longs, but they were long and tearful.

As we walked out to the car, I carried the camera case, and Amy took the brown bag. Aunt Ruth had told us that the brown bag contained goodies for the trip. The camera case went behind my seat and the goodie bag behind Amy’s seat. Again there were hugs and kisses as we went to get into the car. And of course, promises to come back.

As we pulled out everyone was waving, and when we got to the main road, we headed north towards Winter Park, Colorado. Six and a half hours later, which included a quick stop for lunch and a fill-up, we were at our motel. One thing that I couldn’t believe were some of the switchback roads we encountered and how quickly we were climbing in altitude. And the view of the mountains was fantastic.

After Amy and I had settled into our room, I went back to the office and talked to the desk clerk. I told him what we’d like to do. As in drive through the Park and then head home. And since we weren’t in a hurry that I didn’t want to drive more than eight hours a day.

He told me that I could drive through the park in about two-and-a-half hours if we didn’t stop. I told him to figure five hours for the park. And another three hours or so to the next stop.

He figured three stops, between Winter Park and home. He showed me on a map, and it looked good. So he drew the route on a map and made the three reservations for us. I thanked him and went back to our room.

As I walked into the room, Amy said, “You are not going to believe this.”

“What?”, I asked.

“I was looking at what was in the brown paper bag that your aunt gave us to see what kind of goodies were in it. And there were some good things, including frybread.”

I smiled.

Amy went on with, “Then I found a small cardboard box at the bottom of the bag. I took it out and opened it,”

“What was in it?”

As Amy handed me the box, she said, “See for yourself.”

I opened the box and on the top was a handwritten note, that said, “Gotcha!” and was signed, “Sike Yazzie.”

I looked at Amy. She was smiling, and she said, “He got you last.”

I lifted out the note, and there were two matching silver and turquoise rings. I looked at Amy, and said, “Just wait until I see him again.”

“But it’s so sweet.”

“It is. But I’ll never tell Mr. Yazzie that.”

Amy and I ate dinner and then found a place to watch the Sunset over the mountains to the west of us. It was pretty, but nothing like what we saw when we were at the cabin in the mountains. And, yes, the camera bag went everywhere with us. And we managed to even get Amy’s camera in it.

We had just climbed into bed and were looking at each other, and Amy whispered, “I wish Kai were here.”

“She is. Kinda.”, I said.

“I know. She’s just a wonderful lover.”

“And I’m not?”

“You’re a very wonderful lover. It’s just different with her.”

“Different?”

“She’s just … just slower, softer, and sweeter.”

“Oh. I see.”

Even though we were up kinda late, we were also up early on Tuesday morning. We showered, no not together, dressed, and ate breakfast.

Being in the mountains it was cold, and we were glad we had jackets. After breakfast, we loaded the car. The two rings that Mr. Yazzie had snuck into our snack bag, but I’ll bet that Aunt Ruth did it for him, were now in the camera bag. Then we checked out of the motel and headed to the Grand Lake Entrance to the Rocky Mountain National Park.

At Grand Lake we stopped at the visitors center and looked around, then at the entrance station, we paid our fee. We knew that there were hiking trails, but we figured that we had better not do any hiking or we’d never get home.

We stopped at a number of the overlooks, and the views even with the morning fog and some clouds were beautiful. And there were a lot of switchbacks. We stopped at the Alpine Visitors Center and did hike a very short distance on the Ute Trail just so that we could say we hiked in the Rocky Mountains.

Shortly after we left the Alpine Visitors Center, we came to the highest point on the road, 12,183 feet above sea level. Making it the highest paved road in the United States. It’s a little short of the highest spot in the Rockies, which is Mount Elbert at 14,400 feet.

After going through the Many Park Curves, which has some interesting switchbacks, we picked up Route 36 and exited the park at Beaver Meadows which is the park headquarters. And we headed into Estes Park, Colorado for a late lunch.

I’m not going to bore you with the rest of the trip. Except to tell you when we came down out of the mountains onto the Great Plains. It was the Great Plains all right. It was very large and very flat. We saw a lot of corn, wheat, and other crops, and not much more. Once we were in Missouri, the scenery got better. And seeing the Gate Way Arch as we crossed the Mississippi River was interesting.

We had called my parents every Sunday while we were at my aunt and uncle’s house. Actually, my aunt and mother talked every Sunday. Last Sunday when we’d talked to them, we told them that we’d call them at our last stop on the way home. So tonight we called them and told them that we’d be home tomorrow afternoon.

We were up early on Friday morning, and only had a few hours to drive after breakfast, so we were home around noon. No one else was home, so Amy and I unloaded the car. And I called my Aunt Ruth and told her we were safely home. I also chastised her for putting the box from Mr. Yazzie in the goodie bag. She said that it was a goodie, so it had to go in the goodie bag.

I figured that we’d just relax on the porch until I had to go shopping for the groceries to make dinner for my parents. But Amy had other ideas …

An hour later, after we were out of bed, I ran to the store and picked up the things Amy and I needed to make a nice dinner for my parents. When I was back home, Amy told me that she had called Maria to say we were home and to see how things were with them. She said that Maria was happy that we were home, and they were doing great. And then Amy and Maria had made arraignments to get together after dinner for ice cream.

Then Amy said that she had tried calling Kelly, and couldn’t reach her. She then tried calling Larry, and Kelly answered the phone. Kelly was also glad to hear that we were finally back. Amy had told Kelly about getting together for ice cream after dinner, and that Maria and Mark were going to be there. Kelly agreed that it would be fun.

Later when my parents got home from work and walked into the kitchen from the garage, Amy and I were making dinner. My mother said, “Well hello my two travelers. And you’re making dinner.”

Amy and I turned, and said, “Hi mom. Hi dad. We figured that you needed a good Southwestern meal.”

“You two look great. Did you have a good time?”

“Of course.”, I said. “We’ll tell you all about it over dinner. It should be ready in about half-an-hour.”

“Interesting hairdo, Tom.”, my dad said.

“Thanks, Dad.”, I replied. “Out there I feel like a native, and no matter if I’m Tom or Kai, I want to look like a native.”

“The braid is interesting.”

“I know. It’s a man’s braid. I may get back to a ponytail later.”

“Going to get it cut?”

“Dad.”, Amy said. “I made the mistake of saying the same thing when we were seeing Mrs. Hatathli, the beautician out there. And her reply to me was, ‘To a Navajo, our hair is our culture, our memories, and our choice.’ And I figured that I’d better drop the subject.”

My dad looked at me, and said, “So you do feel your Navajo blood.”

“Dad.”, I said. “When I’m out there, yes. I feel my female spirit, and she is Navajo. I wasn't Kai out there a couple of times, and it just didn’t feel right. Back here, I feel Tom. I may change my hair color back. But I'm not sure yet.”

Half-an-hour later we were sitting down to dinner. Amy and I had made a Southwestern meal. It was something we’d had and loved, so we’d gotten the recipe. The main dish was called Three-Chile-Dusted Shrimp with Quick Corn Relish. We also made a Southwestern salad with black beans. My dad said that Amy and I could cook all the time.

As we ate we talked about our trip, and the first thing that came up was the car in the driveway. So we told them about buying the car and seeing the souped-up twin to my ‘57 Chevy Bel Air ragtop. My dad jokingly said that we should have bought that. I told him that I’d thought about it, but that it belonged the owner of the dealership.

Then we got into the nitty-gritty of the trip. And since you know all the details, I won’t go over them again.

My parents weren’t happy about what the two guys tried to do to us in Taos. But where pleased about the way it got handled.

They thought our time in the cabin was great even with the trouble the one hiker got himself into. And my dad was interested in the helicopter rescue. We mentioned about the hiking and the fire tower, but we didn’t say much about the sacred place. But, since Amy and I were wearing them, we showed them the stone necklaces that we had. My dad was surprised when we told him the stones were meteorites.

Amy said that she took a lot of pictures and that as soon as she got them developed that we would sit down and look at them.

Then we told them about our idea for the scholarship. And my dad, being my dad, was concerned about it being done correctly and us not putting too much of our trust fund into it. I told him about meeting the lawyer and that Amy and I were going to talk to her, and to our financial advisor.

And when we told them what Chief Peshlakai had pulled, I saw my dad get his angry face, as he said that it was entirely uncalled for, which both Amy and I agreed with.

My mother said that she’d clean up the dinner dishes since Amy and I had made dinner, and we were meeting Larry and Kelly, and Mark and Maria. Amy and I went and changed, Amy slipped into a long skirt and fancy blouse. The only jewelry that she wore, other than the meteorite necklace, was a pair of the of the silver feather earrings.

I went with jeans and one of the ribbon shirts. Of course, I was wearing my meteorite necklace, and the small silver diamond shaped earrings. And with my male braid, I looked like a native guy.

Amy and I were meeting Kelly and Larry, and Maria and Mark, at one of our favorite ice cream places. And we were the last ones to arrive. The four of them were standing outside waiting for us. We drove up and parked. I saw them give the car a quick look, and then continue to talk. We’d driven the red ‘61 Chevrolet Impala, two-door, hardtop, which we’d bought in New Mexico. And they’d never seen it.

We sat there for a few seconds, then got out of the car, and I yelled, “Hi guys.”

They looked at us, and as the four of them walked over to us, Mark asked, “Where did you get this?”

“Out West.”, I replied. “We needed to replace that clunker we’d been driving here. So we flew out and drove this back.”

“It does have New Mexico plates on it.”, Mark said.

“So, Tom, I see it’s back to the native look?”, Larry quipped.

I turned, looked at Larry, smiled, and said, “Yep. Get used to it.”

“Really?”

“Time will tell.”

“And Amy.”, Maria said, “I love the skirt and blouse.”

“Thanks.”, Amy said. “I fell in love with the look while we were out there. Besides, it’s comfortable and cool.”

“And, Amy, you’ve got a nice tan.”, Kelly said. “You look good with some color.”

“Thanks. You should see me with dark hair.”

“She looks like a native.”, I said.

Then there were hugs and handshakes all around.

We went into the ice cream parlor, ordered, got our ice cream, and went outside on this warm evening. As we sat at a table, I asked, “So, guys. What new?”

~o~O~o~

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Kind of sad

Monique S's picture

to see them going back. I wonder how well Aije will manage missing Kai and how long it will take for Kai to miss Aije.

Monique S

Yeah. A little sad. But

Yeah. A little sad. But their back home with friends and family. And off to new adventures. And there's always next summer for a trip back to New Mexico.

Not fair

having the family cooperate with Mr. Yazzie against Kai in their 'contest of gifts'. So cute though, please don't stop.

Thanks, Wendy. We'll see

Thanks, Wendy. We'll see where this 'contest' goes.

I wonder

what nefarious things Chief Peshlakai will pull but we shall see I remember my Dad talking about some the problems carberators had with high altitudes, That is an automotive component I shall not miss. It was a minor adjustment for those who knew how to do it,

Tom, being a car person,

Tom, being a car person, should know how to handle a carburetor. I can remember being at the top of Pike's Peak and having problems starting the car. But it was worth the view.

Happy Wolf Day

gillian1968's picture

Wolves play an important background role in this story, but they were almost gone for good.
Wolves in New Mexico were exterminated in the 70’s.

20 years ago today they were reintroduced into the wild. It’s been difficult, but the wolves are still out there helping bring balance to nature.

And I would keep a close watch on Chief Peshlakai. Even people who want to change don’t change that easily.

Gillian Cairns

I'm glad to hear that the

I'm glad to hear that the wolves are making a come back in NM. We've always backed the wolf reintroduction. In fact, there is a print on our wall that we purchased in Yellowstone many moons ago that the proceeds went to the wolf projects in the park.

That stinker

Jamie Lee's picture

It was good they five had a talk before Ajie and Kai started for home. A smoldering fire can cause even bigger problems later on.

It also seems there are many besides Ajie and Kai who don't trust Chief Peshlakai, of his own clan. That isn't good, isn't a sign that what's best for the clan will be considered. He may not realize it, but he's walking a tightrope.

Sike is one heck of a stinker. Kai and he are kindred spirits in that they want what they want, and will try their best to achieve it. Both may not see it yet, but they have a bond which gets stronger each time they deal with each other.

Having the time to travel as Tom and Amy did on their way home is more relaxing then needing to make the trip because of necessity. Having to rush home takes more out of a person then the way they traveled.

Sunsets and sunrises are different everywhere on this planet. One place to see an uninterrupted sun rise or sunset, horizon to horizon, is in the plains States. It's mostly flat, there are few trees to obscure both horizons, and you can see forever. There are land elevation changes but more totally flat areas to view either the rising or setting sun. Plus, when it gets dark, if you're away from any lights, you get a fantastic view of the stars. And dark, it gets so dark that you can't see you hand before your face. Unless there's a moon.

Now that Tom and Amy are home, and homesick, what new challenges will they face? How soon before some moron attacks his heritage and receives an ear full?

Others have feelings too.