* * *
Darrius left the showroom when Bob, his assistant, came in. He’d decided he had better call José before all the rooms at the Best Western were booked. Holding his cell at the entrance to the stockroom, he couldn’t help but thinking about Justine. He had not thought about a woman since he and his last girlfriend had broken up nine months ago. The breakup had been a healthy dose of good riddance to her!
His mind on a woman was not what he needed in his life now—even the beautiful young temptress who had come into his store from nowhere. The last thing he needed was to be swayed by a customer simply because she was beautiful. He had done that way too many times in the past, and it had gotten him nowhere. He then decided that Justine was just a sale—hopefully, a major one before the ceremonial ended on Sunday.
2
TURQUOISE DREAMS
Justine climbed into her rented black-on-black Neon and Darrius got into a beat-up Ford truck parked next to her. Historic Route 66 took center stage now. She had heard of the famous stretch of highway and had been dying to see it from the New Mexico side. It brought to mind the Nat King Cole song, “Get Your Kicks on Route 66.” Justine sang the song aloud instead of the usual hip-hop music she liked.
She stopped when Darrius abruptly turned into the parking lot of the Best Western without benefit of a traffic signal. She wiped the sweat from her brow, hoping it was more from the heat than from his deplorable driving. “He’s beautiful, all right, but he drives like a madman.”
Twenty minutes later Darrius had a luxury suite for her, but at the price of a single. Yes, it was good to know people, and she definitely had thoughts of maybe wanting to know Darrius for more than just hotel rooms and Koshari clowns. Maybe! No matter, she was in New Mexico to work, not mix interpersonally with handsome storeowners. She looked around the spacious room. “I love it, Darrius; it has almost all the luxuries of home. The only thing missing is the Jacuzzi.”
“For a little more money, I can swing a room with one of those, too. But you’d have to cut me a little piece of the pie.”
“Meaning?”
“I get the chance to use it, too; alone, of course.”
“Of course.” Thinking all the wrong things made her feel a little foolish. She smiled sheepishly. “I’ll let you know when I’m done using our proverbial Jacuzzi. Deal?”
“Deal. Enjoy your room, Ms. Paretti. Glad to have been of assistance to you in the Land of Enchantment. If there’s anything else I can do—”
“I’ll call. I do have your business card somewhere in my garbage bag of a purse. Oh, there is something.”
“Anything.”
“You can take payment for the bracelet. I still have it on.”
“That you do. Why not wear it a little longer, as if on loan for the evening.”
“You trust me that much?”
“Sure. Besides, I know where you work. I sometimes do that for special customers; let them get the feel of the jewelry and, if they are 100 percent satisfied, they bring the money back.”
“You’re too trusting, Darrius.”
“Every item is insured—heavily.”
“Smart man, but I know I want it, so—”
“But, you may change your mind. Live with it a little while. I’ll see you again.”
She looked at her bracelet again. “Sure are right about that.”
Before leaving, Darrius made her promise not to leave without stopping back in the store to see him and do her interview. She quickly agreed.
Finally, Justine’s weary body could rest on a comfortable bed. She put off unpacking, just wanting a few minutes of shut-eye to calm her nerves and dream turquoise dreams—dreams of Darrius Red Sky. What an impression the man had made, and in a short amount of time. He had gotten her to thinking there were still some good men left in the world.
After unloading her cameras, she plopped onto the bed and heard a jingling sound. Darrius’s heart bracelet was still on her wrist, and she smiled knowing she would definitely see him again.
There was nothing she could do about the bracelet until the morning, so she decided to take her catnap and then go scope out Red Rock State Park. Tomorrow was the start of a busy week. She planned to attend nearly all the ceremonies before she left for home. There would be no rest after tonight.
* * *
Justine awakened with a vivid memory of a dream she had of Darrius dancing the dance of the Koshari. It was a sexy, wild dream where she ended up in his arms as onlookers chanted and called to them. Her fingers tangled in his long dark hair as he whirled her around the arena. Soon everything vanished, and the two of them were left alone in her world. Justine looked into his eyes; they were different, but the face was the same. It was as if he had changed into another man. And he had; he was no longer Darrius Red Sky. But who was he? That was what jolted her awake.
Thinking it must have been later than it actually was, she looked at the alarm clock. Only 7:00, and there was still plenty of daylight. Never having been one to sit around and do nothing, she immediately freshened up, grabbed her camera bag and was off to Red Rock State Park, the heart of the Land of Enchantment.
The desert heat was still so stifling by 7:00 that evening, and she thanked God for her sun visor and shades. A long stretch of Route 66 unfolded before her as she drove in the direction of Red Rock. It was a little overwhelming at first with its long, narrow stretch of highway that passed through several states. She simply said to herself: This is what you asked for, Justine; the famous Route 66. Now go and explore, make it yours—represent it well. With her mission in mind, she started the car and drove into the sun.
Heading west would take her to the entrance of Red Rock State Park. Still reveling about her dream, she looked north of the highway and saw Darrius’s store sitting on a stretch of desert land. She wanted to find him; travel to where he lived, see how he lived…where he slept. Nothing doing. He was a memory, at least until morning, and Red Rock was waiting to be explored. The bracelet served to remind her of him in the meantime—as if her mind would let her forget.
* * *
Red Rock State Park was everything a woman seated next to Justine in the Albuquerque train station told her it would be. Huge brick red slabs of volcanic rock walls stretched to the sky, surrounding the entire park. She had never seen anything that majestic, that beautiful, other than the flat lands of the Arizona mesas she saw two years ago at the Phoenix Powwow. That had been only her second large assignment since graduation and getting assignments from The Examiner.
Justine pulled onto the road that led to Red Rock and felt almost giddy. Countless times she had dreamed of being exactly where she was now. And now that she had arrived, she could hardly believe it. Standing before her were the looming reddish slabs of rock that was Red Rock’s signature. She parked, paid for her ticket and followed the crowd to the arena for the rodeo. Along the way, she saw alcoves, smaller arenas and bandstands situated all around the park. In the center was the large arena, and she figured that was where the main dances would take place. There were trees and grassy areas throughout, along with food stands of all kinds that featured a wealth of different kinds of native dishes along with burgers and fries and other types of fast foods.
As she walked down the main strip toward the main arena, there was a large museum on the left side. On the front of the building was a lifelike painting of Olla Maidens from the Zuni Pueblo. The women looked real enough to talk to. The pottery on their heads looked so real she almost believed she could reach out and touch it. She photographed it with the thought of possibly making the photo the feature picture. Enchanting.
She entered the museum, seeing all kinds of encased artifacts, from clothing to tools and jewelry. Minutes later, she looked at her watch and noticed the rodeo would be starting soon. She walked back outside and followed the pathway to the main arena. It was a large sectioned-off area with trees and grass all around. Lights hung on lines and circled the entire area. It looked to be large enough to hold the rodeo in there, but it was mainly for the dancing.
She looked at her map that she had received at the entrance and saw where the rodeo was being held in area C, so she walked in that direction. Area C was a large, circular arena toward the back of the park. There were lots of cement seats in circular formation. It was a very attractive place. Everything she had seen thus far, from the schools and scenery in Albuquerque to Darrius’s store and a small stretch of Route 66, had been so rich and real, a marvel. Now actually looking at Red Rock State Park, she could definitely add this to the list of outstanding sights.
According to the schedule, it was just minutes away from the All Indian Rodeo. She had loved rodeos ever since learning that some of her relatives on her mother’s side had been among the first black cowboys to ride in rodeos. Who knows? Some of her own relatives may be there riding. Capturing black and Indian cultures interacting should make for dramatic photographs.
