The days passed on, as they do, and our favorite miners all
dug out more Gold, finished the fence, worked on the addition to
Jul and Ri's and did the other chores. They also bought horses and
started on making a pond for fish, ducks, frogs and even swans,
they planned; then they started on a new windmill generator for more
electric, put up more solar panels on their roofs, after another trip to
Albuquerque for the panels, and built a water mill in the stream.
And played one gaggle of music during the nights.
        Our three had figured that, OK, if the satellites were looking
and saw them, fine, what the heck would they see and figure
except normal work for what was going on there. The government
surely knew there was a Gold mine there, even though the
Treasury execs BR was dealing with were promising as much
secrecy as possible. The dogs were patrolling out beyond the fence
up to maybe a couple of miles, trained well by the kids. There had
been some chases, but figured up as just snoopers, probably locals.
But it wasn't long before they had their second $10 million dug out
and ready to go and BR on the phone to arrange another pickup.
O, that yelllow brick road.
        Well, our trio took off for Taos after they talked with BR.
They drove the back way through Mora, then up over the range,
the girls just in awe of the scenery. It was another "be-yood-ee-full"
day in the Sangres. Not much rain in the summers there, nor too
much snow in the winters, and no weather too violent, or
earthquakes or volcanos. All spoken softly, when describing the
area to others, so as not to disturb such delicate balance, it seemed,
or bring too many folks to their valley and mountains.
        Anyway, Kit was planning to let Dusty know that he had
moved out, and was also figuring to go resign personally at Jenny's,
though it sure had been a good run. So they stopped in Talpa and
Kit walked through the open door of the old adobe and Dusty was
asleep on the couchbed.
        "Hey," Kit woke him.
        "Hey...O!...uh...back from vacation, huh?" Dusty's hair all
sticking out everywhere.
        "Naw. Just came to get my stuff. I'm moving out, Dust...
um, here's a couple months rent, though, pal. It's been fun, pard...
good fun, man...." They shook hands, then Kit gathered up the
few things he had there - just clothes - as Dusto shook off his
grog, sat up in the bed and happily counted the five hundreds
ole Kitto had handed him.
        "Wow...well, yeah, uh....sorry to see ya go, Kit...yeah, we
had some good times, no?"
        "Si, 'migo...si," and Kit was out of there. "Well, I'll see ya
around, Dust...I'll still be in and out of town...Adios, 'meeg," and
waved back as he stepped off the front stoop.
        Dusty staggered to the doorway, then outside, barefooted,
into the dirt and shreds of bark and sawdust under the sagging
porch roof and watched Kit go to his truck, then saw Jessica and
Felecia in the cab, Jess still telling Flee what the stop was about,
what she knew of. Dust sauntered on over to the truck as Kit got
in, Dusty thinking, as males do, well, I can have one of them -
HO LORD! - let's see, which is Kit's, ah yeah, the one probably
in the middle, so that makes the other one MINE. And he leaned
into Flece's window and was flabbergasted by her beauty, but
still managed to ply his bull.
        Then Ronald came out of his trailer next door with some
beers, walked over to Kit's window, passed out the cans and
proceeded to woo from that side. Some of the other vatos were
on their way across the street so Kit said, "sorry, Ronald, adios
amigo, gotta vamos" with a big smile, started the truck, in his
mind thanking GOD and Dodge for dependable ignition, and
started to pull out, quietly mentioning to Ron that they would
have him and a few others up to the ranch sometime soon.
        Ron was pleasantly surprised about his old 'migo's
apparent new prosperity and shook heartily with him before the
Kitster pulled out.
        They drove on into town and shopped with big spirit. They
bought a used Jeep wagon and parked it in the downtown lot so
they could lock up the other things they were going to buy. They
went to the Spotted Bear and bought away, the girls showing Kit
what they looked like in the beautiful dresses and such. They
perused a bunch more other shops and got more "stuff", then
took in the galleries they could, purchased some pedazos of art,
then ambled to Jenny's for food and cerveza.
        Kit introduced the girls to everyone - the waitresses, waiters,
the hostess with the mostest (Jenny's girl, Padme), cooks and
manager - OV, the one, the only - and told OV, first and foremost,
of his resignation, after Jenny, of course; then explained to
everybody that he had come into some inheritance when they all
asked why. Like, inherit the WIND. His ex-fellow employees
couldn't believe their eyeballs or earholes, looking at their former
hippy-dippy-dropout-crazy-lazy-playboy with Jessica and Felecia
by his side. But times do change. The side does flip. And fish do
grow legs.
        There he was with a most excellently beautiful young nubile
goddess movie starlet on each arm. And our trio went with their
plan - playing like he had hired two exotic dancers from
Albuquerque just to psych everyone. And everyone bought that.
Yeah, THAT made sense. And when the guys asked the girls
where they could be seen dancing, Jess kidded, "O, we're moving
to Taos."
        Kit introduced them to Evan when he brought their Frogs
over to their table from the cantina. Our girls both loved him at
first glance and vibes, and vice versa, and they became lightning-
quick friends. So Ev invited them to party at his place after he
got off work, which would be just about the time that they would
finish their dinners.
        After Evan left to return to the cantina, Leo came out of
the kitchen and played his 'I don't see you' game at first, then
came over all gregarious, as he is, intent on getting the beauties -
and Kit - to party at his place later.
        Kit laughed and said it had been grande working for him
on saludas those couple of years, but that they had already been
invited somewhere else, Lee guessing right away that it was
"Bevis'es".
        Leo asked for the girls' phone numbers, having heard that
they were dancers, and laughed with them when Jess gave him
"976-HOOTERS".
        Then he asked Kit how much his inheritance was, but Kit
just laughed, "enough", and Lee headed for the cantina to try to
change the party to his place and to razz "Beve", attempting to
impress the dancers with his panache, looking back over his
shoulder for their reactions, which were laughs.
        Finished with dinner, our guys went to the cantina and got
some more cervezas from Ang, and Ev, just then off work, sat
down next to Felecia. Larry came in and drew up the stool next
to Ev, then funny ole Dave Winters came in and took the stool
next to Larry, followed by Sam, Phil and the other regulars, and
they all couldn't get over Kit! Brandy, the ex-Hooter's girl who
had taken over for Ev, came over and gave Kit a kiss and hug,
having heard about his resignation. Jenny came out from the
office and bought a round in Kit's honor, though actually, she
said, it was for his getting out of her hair, what a fine example,
so went the jokes. Shelly came in to take over for Ang and gave
our three another free one, expressing his well wishes for Kit,
just even for bringing in those girls.
        They all got good and properly pedo before Dusty came in
for work and checked out the bar, always getting his share of
razz, especially from Leo. And chef Dave - "Big Worm" - came
out from the kitchen and gave his fond "ya ya ya" to Kit,
followed by Phil, Teo, Andy, Miguel, Simon, Dan, Johnny,
Anthony and the others either getting off work or coming in. It
had bean an era, most certainly, Kit was remarking. And Jenny
gave him his last paycheck, hug and kiss. And Kit wished he
could have invited every one of them up to the ranch, but
bought as many rounds as they all wanted, in lieu, for then.
They adiosed Jenny's a little after all that and bought some
vittles at Smith's and took Ev home, he and Flee taking the
new Jeep wagon, Kit and Jess the Dodge. And they picked up
Stef, getting off work herself, on the way home.
        Evan and Stefani were in their mid-twenties, smart, happy,
beautiful and handsome, grown up together back in the Midwest
North country; and Stef had joined Ev who was already out
West after he had finished "dead headin'" with the Grateful
Dead, and they had spent some time together in Northern
California before moving to Taos. And ole Ev had the best
homegrown a head could ever toke. O God dam. And he played
an old Ovation and was learning the tenor sax that he had
bought from JP, another Jenny's manager from Belgium by way
of South America (ever notice that word?: man ager; an ager of
men, apparently).
        Well, Stef was a student at the massage school and God,
could Steffi massage. Five foot two, blonde, sweet as the dew in
Heaven, precious Stef made the girls and Kit tres welcome and
comfortable, then sat down with them with a Tree Frog. And
Stef was surely Stef, bold and pure of heart and soul. And Ev
was most definitely too, plus had a fine music library and could
play harmonica with the best. He was into blues, and had all the
old great Black blues music on his tapes or CD's. The classics.
The best of the old stuff. And he and Stef became part of Jessy's
band that night, as Jess played her songs on Ev's Ovation and he
played harmonica or sax along with her, and they talked about
the coming concert and stuff between songs.
        They stayed the night there, in the small old adobe Ev and
Stef were renting, rather than drive back a little "tipsy" or that late,
and Jess called Maria to let her know.Their bed was the couch,
folded out, or the floor - their choice - with sleeping bags, blankets
and pillows, of course. The "kids" had it all. Even a sensory
deprivation tank out back that Kit and Ev had picked up together
in Santa one day.
        So, our trio had some sex on the floor - but tried being a little
quieter than usual - along with Stef and Ev in the bedroom behind
the curtain. Aw man. And after orgasms, the three checked in with
Pute and all was quiet. They said "hey" to R. And it definitely
looked like a wait until June 10. But at least their money was
getting to the war refugee zones and further. That first week was
seeing plenty of bucks for the fund from ticket sales and
contributions. The stage and the rest were already ahead of
construction schedules, with thousands of Navajos working on
everything. They put Pute back on the cell, got back to sex and
were pretty much a fivesome, osmosing through the curtains,
until they all got to sleep.
        After sleeping in, they took Stef and Ev to breakfast at
Michael's. "Hito" was still making all the toast there in the kitchen,
and Kit poked his head through the door to say hey. And, as they
all ate and talked there, BR and everybody at the ranch were
watching the Treasury agents load up the Rangers with Gold
again. Another $10 million!
        Back at Mike's, they didn't tell Stef and Evan about all that
as Jess and Kit read the report off of Pute's screen. Not yet,
anyway. They wanted to, though. After breakfast, they dropped
their new friends off back at home and headed on out to the
ranch, after loading everything into the pickup, leaving the Jeep
at Ev and Stef's for them to use, they not having a vehicle; and
the drive was beautimous and purtiful as they took the "high
road" to Penasco, Chamisal and Truchas and another forest road
to their forest road and their trail.
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