Treasure Map Stories by Buffalohair Page 7

After Lunch let’s go hunt treasure.

Start of Treasure Hunt,

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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2007 9:56 am Post subject:

Sal sat on his motorcycle in a state of shock. Never did anyone speak to him in the manner she did, let alone have the grit to walk up and shut his bike down. But here stood this gutsy gal who must have weighed all of 100 lbs with heels on. “What nerve this gal has” he thought as he starred her down. It was an awkward moment for the two of them since you could cut the air with a knife.

Still looking into her eyes Sal said,

“Don’t know why I am doing this but what the heck. Let’s head to Colorado but tell me something, umm Mona right? Why me? I could be an ax murder or something”

She looked him up and down with a very discerning eye then she spoke in a directed tone of voice,

“Me and my pony have done allot of traveling in this lifetime and we’ve weathered many storms. What’s fair is fair since it was you who originally found this map. And besides, I have a feeling about you Francis; you are not as much a bad ass as people think you are. Oh I know you’re tough and all but I sense that you’re a good soul”

Sal was still at a loss for words but as he gazed at this gal he noticed a scar on her face though it was a fine line, it was a long scar in any event. He was studying her face when she broke his trance,

“OK Sal, if you’re in, let’s hit the high road. I will drop the car off in Albuquerque. That is if you don’t mind packing this little gal along. And if you get tired, I’ll pack you. I know how to ride homeboy.”

Still in amazement Sal said,

“But what about your pony, you can’t leave your car just anywhere, especially Albuquerque New Mexico?”

Smiling she responded,

“The car is a rental”

Then reaching into her purse she pulled out a Colt .45 automatic pistol and said,

“This is my pony”

Stunned, Sal started his motor cycle and said in a meek tone,

“All rightie then, I’ll follow you”

In a hail of rocks and dust, Mona burned rubber out of the parking lot and made tracks for the interstate. Sal was in hot pursuit as he hit the highway as well. Mona was no slouch as she managed to put the hammer down and burn some gas.

Still moved by what has just transpired he thought to Himself,

“Whoa dude, what was that all about? Just another detour and what the hell, I really don’t have anything else to do. So I’m on my way to Colorado. Hmm, guess my sister can wait”

The highway was clear and within a few hours they were at the Car Rental by the airport in Albuquerque. Sal was checking out his saddle bags anticipating the addition of Mona’s gear. As he looked up at the entrance, Mona came out the door. In one hand was a black trash bag and the other hand was a rolled up blanket and sleeping bag.

Sheepishly she held up the trash bad and said,

“It’s my Cheyenne suite case”

Sal was smiling as he noted the trash bag suite case. Mona really did not have much as far as cloths so everything fit in his saddle bags except the bed roll which he added to the front forks of his bike. Mona was not wearing the tight jeans she had on earlier and was wearing cowboy boots as well. She also had a buck skin jacket on with bead work and fringe.

While making the final adjustment to the saddle bags he noticed Mona was braiding her long jet black hair while sitting on the curve. She looked up at him and said,

“Do you want me to braid that mop of yours? Maybe it will grow longer and I really don’t want to be smacked in the face with your hair anyway”

Still mesmerized by Mona and her long hair he responded,

“Umm sure, yea that would be cool. I have some hair ties in my…”

“I have some ties right here and I’ll bet they are not as grease as yours Francis” Mona said matter of factly.

Somewhat perturbed Sal retorted,

“Why are you calling me Francis? Is this how this trip is going to be?”

Mona stopped braiding her hair and looked directly at Sal. With a very serious tone she remarked,

“That is your name isn’t it? You should be proud of who you are and not live with so many shadows. Personally, I like the name since it makes you more human in my eyes.”

Still indignant Sal responded to this reply,

“What makes you so sure I’m not proud of who I am anyway? And what’s this shadows thing all about? You don’t know a thing about me since we only met a few hundred miles ago”

“You wear your life on your sleeve”, She quipped, “And I already know your journey. I had a brother just like you. He was a bad ass and used to fight all the time. But when he was not drunk he would cut wood for our elders and take care of the sick on the rez. In the white man’s society he was considered a criminal or a drunk but to us he was a caretaker of the weak and elderly. He just had many shadows from his past life, always running”

Sal was stunned by this revelation and somewhat unnerved by the fact this chick could see something he thought he concealed to the world. Her reply only gave him more questions and he asked,

“Are you an Indian?”

With a mono tone voice she replied while continuing to braid her hair,

“This is not a Coppertone tan, I was born like this. I don’t have to hang out at some salon. And no, I’m not Indian since my people come from Oklahoma. I’m Native American. Now get your big butt on over here so I can braid that hair of yours”

Sal said in a complacent tone, “OK”
_________________
Creativity is the byproduct of a fertile mind

Posted: Sat Dec 15, 2007 10:42 pm Post subject:

The car and bike with that couple from the rest stop had passed her a long time ago and now she was playing leap frog with other cars traveling her way.

Having been told about a Comforts Inn by Walmart she was looking forward to the nice beds they had, with all those pillows on the bed! Why do they have so many pillows? Maybe for TV watching or reading, she smiled thinking about it.

But the only thing that concerned her was it did not show Comfort Inn in the information she had. Well, would see for sure when she got there as her foot pressed down on the gas pedal.

Rivkah still had alot of hours ahead of her and was begining to feel tired. The weather was changing and it looked like snow, so turned on the car heater. Ahhh that felt good, now to stay awake! Maybe a coffee break would help?

Ann LRD

Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2007 2:55 pm Post subject:

After dropping off the car in Albuquerque, Sal and Mona were making good time on the interstate. Sal’s Harley was humming along when he noticed the thick gray clouds ahead of them. The air was getting crisp and cold on his face when he spotted a truck stop in Springer New Mexico. Sal thought to himself,

“Ah yes, I’ll bet Little Big Woman is freezing her buns off. Good place to fuel up and check my oil, I can use a cup of java anyway.”

As they pulled up to the fuel island Mona queried,

“What’s up Francis?”

Sal responded,

“Just need to fuel up and check the oil. We have about 40 miles to go before we hit Trinidad and we have one mountain pass to climb. From what I can see, we might be headed into some weather. And ah, why do you keep calling me Francis?”

In a frank tone Mona said,

“It is your name is it not? And to be quite honest, I like it since it represents the person you really are. You might be this big goon named Sal to your street buds, but I see through all that stuff.”

Somewhat indignant Sal Retorted,

“Yeah, so you think you can see what? Tell me what your crystal balls says”

As Sal was filling the tank of his motorcycle, Mona came up to him and said softly,

“Francis, I see a human being who has been hurt in life. I see a person who has chosen to mask who he really is with this image of some tough angry guy. I also see someone with a kind and lonely heart. You know something? I see you very clearly. Call it an Injun thing, but I know your heart since I can read you like yesterdays mail.”

Stunned by Mona’s statement he stared at her as she spoke. Then Mona said,

“Um you better pay attention, you are about to overfill the tank. Meet you inside Francis. I need to use the potty and a cup of Joe, Holay, I’m freezing my butt off”

Sal was snapped to reality and replied,

“Ah, yea sure, yea OK”

Sal entered the truck stop and was scoping out the terrain looking for Mona. He noticed a bunch of vintage cars on display as well as a unique curio shop with Coke Cola and Betty Boop memorabilia. Then he heard someone yell,

“Hey Sal, I’m over here. Check out some of this cool stuff..”

It was Mona, she was rummaging through all the curios and knick knacks on display. The shop was loaded with memorabilia from the 50’s and it was obvious the truck stop had a theme. Holding up a giant Betty Boop tee shirt she asked,

“Well what do yea think, is this me or what?

With an authoritarian voice he said,

“Isn’t that a bit large on you?”

Mona laughed and informed Sal,

“I would use it as a night shirt since I don’t have my jammies with me”

This statement made Sal laugh. Then he turned and began to examine the dream catchers and mandellas in the Native American curios section. Suddenly, he heard a stern voice exclaim,

“Put that crap down, gawd this pisses me off”

Turning back around, Sal was facing Mona. She was mad and hot as a fire cracker. Still amazed at her retort, he was still holding a dream catcher in his hands. Mona, steaming mad, walked up to him and snatched the dream catcher out of his hands then tossed it back in the curios section. Puzzled Sal asked,

“What’s all the hub bub Mona? Its native stuff”

She said in an angered pall,

“That stuff is made in China. Man, one of the few things my people have in this G*D forsaken country to make a living with and it’s farmed out to China. Look at this crap; it all has that stupid Made In China sticker on it. Just makes me sick”

With that statement, Mona began to walk out of the store when Sal responded,

“But what about the night shirt?”

Stopping dead in her track, Mona turned around tossing the shirt at a surprised Sal and said,

“You wear it, I’m out of here”

Sal queried,

“But what about the coffee?”

Flagging her arms and hands, she stormed out of the store not saying a word.

With a loss for words, Sal thought to himself,

“Oh man, not another psycho babe”

Sheepishly Sal made his way back to the parked bike. Mona was sitting on the curve when he approached her. He had two cups of coffee in his hands.

Mona looks up at him with a smile and said,

“Sorry about the outburst back there Francis. I just loose it when I see the Chinese stuff in all these stores while my people go hungry. Nothing is sacred anymore eh.”

Surprised by the mood swing he began to hand her the cup of coffee.

“I did not know if you wanted your coffee black or with cream and sugar. So I made one black and one with all the stuff in it. Take your pick”

“Look, I’m not a psycho bitch or anything. I’m just passionate about my people and some things just piss me off. We’ve been so exploited over the years is all. Umm, I’ll take any coffee. Don’t make a difference to me. But thank you for the consideration though” she said.

“You called me Sal in the store and now you’re back to calling me Francis. What gives” Sal queried.

“What I call you in private and what I call you in public are two different things. Don’t worry; I won’t blow your cover. After all, I’m not a total bitch.” She said as she smiled.

With the bike started, Sal made a motion for Mona to board the bike. Kicking it into gear, the duo made tracks back onto the interstate. As Sal turned onto the on ramp he said,

“You can put your hands in the pockets of my jacket to keep your hands warm.”

With those instructions, Mona wrapped her arms around Sal and found the warmth of him and his jacket pockets comforting. Then like a rocket, the motorcycle accelerated and made tracks towards Colorado. The clouds along the mountain range were growing darker and the wind was colder as they traveled northward. Mona just held on tightly as they sped towards destiny.

The weather had other plans for them.
_________________
Creativity is the byproduct of a fertile mind