Read Online Mourning Dove by Aimée & David Thurlo - Free Book Online

arriving in Shiprock, and headed up toward the hospital on the mesa. Carolyn worked in the basement, where the morgue was located. Noting a roadside vendor alongside the highway, she pulled over and stopped. The man had set up a temporary counter and serving area on the tailgate of his pickup.
    Ella had bought fromhim before, though she couldn’t recall his name. The middle-aged man, dressed in flannel shirt, jeans,and straw hat, sold Navajo-style sandwiches. In this case, the main fare was a homemade tortilla called a
naniscaada
, filled with ground beef, potatoes, sweet corn, and chile sauce, and individually wrapped in foil. The resulting burrito was mouthwatering. Getting an extra three for Carolyn,who was probably as hungry as she was, Ella was soon on her way, the big paper bag on the seat cushion beside her. The scent was so enticing her stomach was growling.
    Ella looked at her watch. By now, her daughter’s play had ended, assuming it had gone on as scheduled. The guilt failed to stave off her hunger, unfortunately, and she picked up speed.
    After her arrival at the hospital, Ella tookthe elevator down to the basement and hurried straight to the morgue. Not many things could tempt her to eat in Carolyn’s workplace—but the wonderful scent from the bag in her hand was motivation enough.
    As she walked through the door, she saw Carolyn at her desk typing something on her computer. Carolyn glanced up as Ella came in, and sniffed the air. “I hope you brought plenty. I’m famished.”

    Carolyn moved a stack of papers, laid down a section of today’s Farmington newspaper, and Ella emptied the contents of the bag onto the makeshift tablecloth. “Three for you, three for me. Let’s not talk shop until after we’ve finished, okay? I need a break.”
    “Yeah, and so do I,” Carolyn said, taking a huge mouthful and giving Ella a happy, grateful look. “Wonderful,” she added, after swallowing.She turned around in her swivel chair and poured two cups of coffee from a pot atop a file drawer, handing one to Ella, who nodded, her mouth too full to speak.
    “How are things going with you?” Ella asked as she finished her first
naniscaada
.
    “So-so,” Carolyn answered between bites. “The house seems impossibly large with all of Michael’s things gone. He had more stuff than I did, and tons ofreference books and journals.”
    “I’m sorry about the way things turned out, Carolyn. I really was hoping you two could make it work.”
    Carolyn nodded. “Me, too, and Michael really thought he was going to retire. But, after six months, he got bored and realized that he wanted to be free to pursue whatever interesting opportunities came his way. That meant being willing to travel at a moment’s noticeand even relocate. But I have responsibilities
here
, Ella, and a career I don’t want to give up. The tribe needs me and the way I see it, they paid for my medical degree so I owe them.”
    “You’ve put in your time, girl,” Ella said, starting on her next burrito. “That debt was paid years ago.”
    Carolyn shook her head slowly. “I belong here. Mind you, for a time there, I seriously considered goingwith Michael. But without my job, I’d end up just trying to get through an endless string of days and, pretty soon, I’d see no difference between January and June, except for the temperature outside. Here, I have a sense of purpose and . . . destiny, too. This is where I was meant to be. I love Michael, but if I have to stop being me just to be with him, then neither one of us will be very happy.”

    “I understand exactly what you’re saying. I’ve had second thoughts about keeping my job since the day Dawn was born. But I’d be lost without my work. Being a police officer is in my blood. Yet there’s nothing I love more than my daughter. I’ve spent years going through this tug-of-war with myself, trying to balance everything in my life. I’ve walked that in-between road all my life but this onewas