Read Rock with Wings for Free Online Page B

one. Talk some sense into her.”
    Chee stepped inside. He had seen Bernie handle difficult situations and wondered what she had said so far. Whatever it was, it hadn’t worked.
    Mama spoke to him again. “You two should not have come. I don’t know why she makes such a fuss about me.”
    Bernie said, “I could use some coffee. I’m going to make some for all of us.” When she walked past him to the kitchen, Chee could tell she had been crying.
    Chee turned to Mama. “The night sky is beautiful. Would you like to go out to the porch with me and see the moon?”
    Mama considered the offer, then nodded. She struggled to rise from the couch, and he moved toward her, offering his arm. Her grip was surprisingly strong, but she was trembling. He gently leveraged her to standing. She felt as light as bones baked in the sun. She pointed to the corner with her lips, the same way Chee’s aunt had always done. “Get that walking machine.”
    Chee knew she meant the walker. He waited for her to stand more steadily and then helped her take a few steps. When she reached the back of the couch, he pushed the walker where she could grab for it.
    Moving slowly, she headed to the front door. Chee opened it, and they made their way outside. They stood for a while, and then Bernie’s mother sat in the wooden chair, and Chee lowered himself onto the cement at her side.
    Mama had grown up in a society where sons-in-law kept their distance, but the traditional Navajo world was changing. Chee thought some of the changes, like the end of the taboo against a woman’s mother and her husband ever catching sight of each other, were for the best. Death had taken Chee’s mother years ago. He considered Mama’s presence in his life a blessing.
    â€œDid my daughter see Tsé Bii’ Ndzisgaii?” Mama used the Navajo name for Monument Valley.
    â€œYes. She smiled and smiled. My wife will tell you how beautiful it was. She took some pictures.”
    Mama nodded. “I remember my uncle’s stories about how the Holy People left us those big rocks out there so the Diné could find our way through that place.”
    Somewhere a coyote yipped, and another answered.
    Mama spoke again. “Your wife thinks I am too weak to be alone.”
    Chee watched a cloud flirt with the moon, and waited.
    â€œShe is stubborn, that one. She doesn’t listen to me so well anymore. You tell her to save her energy to take care of her sister.”
    Chee said, “My wife looks like she’s been crying.”
    Mama stared ahead, and the silence sat so long that he wondered if she had fallen asleep.
    â€œShe is angry with her sister, and she worries too much. And I think she is still sad about the old one who got hurt.”
    Chee realized she was referring to the attack on Lieutenant Leaphorn that Bernie had witnessed.
    â€œI told her not to come here,” Mama said. “When I look at her, I know her heart is still heavy, uneasy, restless, ever since that bad thing happened.”
    They watched the cloud float in front of the moon, covering it like frost on a cold morning. Chee said, “May I share an idea with you?”
    Mama nodded once.
    â€œMy wife would like to figure out how to best help her sister. She would enjoy your company. Seeing how strong you are would lighten her heart, help her return to hozho .” Hozho , harmony, contentment with the inevitable—a central tenet of the Navajo way. “I believe if you asked her to spend some time here at your house, she would say yes.”
    He studied Mama’s face for a reaction. Discerned none. Continued.
    â€œSome people say that it is a good thing for daughters to be with their mothers so they can learn from them. They say it doesn’t matter if the daughter thinks she is already a grown woman, she can still benefit from her mother’s wisdom.”
    The wisp of a cloud drifted away, and the moonlight