They rolled into the yard a little after noon. Ria and Juli helped them
unload the groceries and such. Then they all went through the gifts - Kit
wrapping the shawl from the Yucatan he had bought for Ri over her shoulders
- as they sat down to lunch on Jul and Ri's back porch with its spectacular
view of the Mora Valley and Turkey Range. Winter's cold was still in the air,
but that was just from their height. Spring was springing below. It was as
beautiful a sight as any on Earth at anytime. The Santa travelers gave out all
their gifts. Essy's, of course, were the most appreciated, the Silver cup for
her Madre the most special.
        After lunch, the "boys" put in some more fence posts. And I don't know
here among you who might have done this in frozen ground, but it is really
excrutiating work, though good for the muscles, you know. And Kit was
commiserating with the guys as they worked it together and joked about
things, drinking their Frogs along the way. Later they got Essy to help them in
the mine. But she was very quiet. Uttered not a word. The guys didn't mention
that, though, since she was the hardest working miner and all that afternoon.
        Hundreds of years ago - after Cortez landed in Mexico right after 15oo
- that small mine entrance (a short cave, actually) had been blocked off with
rocks, dirt and spirit. And vegetation, care and soul had completely covered it
over time. But Jul and Kit had found it - they both say  the other did - several
years back on one of their camping trips in search of the legend that Mari's
Padre had told her about before his death when she was 10. And Ri and Jul
had involved Kit, after meeting him by chance up in the Truchas looking for
Gold himself, because he had become the Anglo that they trusted most and
came to know best. They knew they would need help getting the claim. And
he had the money it would take. And they had become friends so fast it had
just seemed like it was what fate, as always, prescribes. Well, that spot had
"just kind of  'twinkled' at'm", Jul still tells (their way now of telling who
actually did find it). And they had put their claim on the land, with that 1872
or what year that was mining law. And they had gotten it (thanks to Kit's
lawyer) and had all moved up there together and built their cabins and all.
        It was hard pick and shovel work. No doubt about that. And those four
picked and shoveled until dark that day, Essy just a machine. The vein was
almost four feet in diameter at its largest when they stopped, chunks of rocks,
metals, minerals, Quartz, Silver, Gold and dirt all over on the mine floor. They
picked out pieces to show Ria and went back down the mountain to throw
dinner together. The guys grilled the Brown Trouts outside on the barby  that
Jul and Son had caught a few days earlier out of the Pecos.
        They were very happy souls, all right. Except Es. So Kit was kind of
down too, her mood being kind of his fault. But the both of them kept it from
showing too much. Doing some music later brought her spirit back up some,
which relieved everyone.
        At the end of that night, after all their buenas nocheses, Es and Kit were
left out on the front porch together. They stood, touching, then not, then
touching again, you know how that is, looking towards Kit's cabin, then up
at the stars, so bright, big and voluminous up there in their high wilderness.
        Kit quietly said, "there's the Swan....so graceful and elegante...just like
you, precious....I was so happy to see your spirit come back up tonight, Es...
to see you forget about me....You're a great soul, darlin'...don't you ever
forget that....not  ever..."
        She kept her gaze on the Universe. Then she answered, after turning her
head to another section of the sky, "and there's the Scorpion....I didn't forget
about you...I just started thinking your 'so long ago' woman will have someone
else and then you'll be so sad and wish you wouldn't have told me no."
        "Ah Lord...." he let out in surprise, "God....Es," and looked at her,
"...precious ...you could be...totally right there...and, yeah, I would be totally
devastated....and yes, so sorry, but...I'm glad you're feelin' better...Strell...I
do love you...you know that..."
        "Well, Senor Cody...buenas noches..." And Essy turned away and
walked, ever so gracefully, back into the cabin and closed the door with a
gentle wave of her fingers towards him.
        Kit stood there some moments, looked into the sky, then slowly
descended the porch steps and started walking across the yard to his cabin,
still looking up at the stars on his way, wondering indeed who was the
woman for him as the cold gave him a chill.
        He pulled a Frog out of the fridge and popped the top as he passed
through the kitchen, then started a fire in his bedroom hearth, his guitar and
toke bag on his feather bed where Essy had put them. He sat down on the
bed and thought about her. Then he had thoughts of that other girl from ten
years ago, and wondered how she might react to him, assuming he could
even find her.
        Picking up Pute, not even thinking twice that he had left the ole chipster
on the internet the whole day and night right there, he took him off the net
and entered all the recent events of his life into the "think" program. Well, of
course, ole Puter felt for him about the girls and had comments about other
things too, as Kit plugged him in to the socket to replenish the batteries. Then
Kit saw that he had made over $3,2oo that day in the market. He totalled up
to about $343,ooo plus change, and chose some stocks to sell for the first
payment on the $9o,ooo loan on the plane plus another $1o,ooo cash.
        Kit valued his half of the ranch - the 16o acres bought at $3 an acre
from the US of A, buildings and equipment - at around  $1oo,ooo, not
including the mine. Juliet at $8o,ooo brought him to $423,ooo, plus or minus.
He drank some of his Frog, then sent off $7oo more to "Save The Children",
giving a percentage of his profit every week or so; then wrote the checks for
thousands more to the stores in Mora for their supplies.
        He worked on the documents he had in another file, returned to the
"think" program and crunched around there with the P-ster on stuff, then
started piecing pieces together for another hologram set, thinking about how
to best use his nubile girl and "Great Al" as he continued to think about Es
and that girl from Kentucky as Pute crunched to himself. Kit hit the shower
long after midnight, and then the feathers.
        Something shimmering...people, it seemed...someone saying his name...
somewhere plasmicly rich with color...and then he was landing his plane in a
girl's bedroom...and she smiled at him and said, "I've been waiting for you"...
and ole Kit woke with a start, propped himself up on his elbows and tried to
recall his dream. But nothing more came.
        Not many minutes later he was up the mountainside with Jul and Juli,
who had just gotten there, and helped with getting more fence posts and
stakes into that frozen ground. Soon, though, Kit had to go.
        "Well, 'migo," he said to Julian as they walked back down toward the
cabins, "I'll be back next week, as usual," and handed Jul 2o $5o bills along
with the checks for the businesses in Mora. "...I want to give you a little
extra this week."
        "Eeee, 'migo..." Jul came back as he counted the 5o's, "this is way
too mucho..."
        "Not, pard...you guys are doin' a lot...those fence posts are a bear,
bro's...and that runway was smooth, dudes...and then there's the Plata..."
and they smiled real heartily at each other, "por favor, Hulkian..."
        "Well...all right, since you put it that way...OK, Waldo..." smiling
again over to Kit, "you're all right, you know that...despite what Essy says
about 'cha, 'meeg," and they shook hands hard and strong as they chuckled
and walked on. Then Jul added, "you and Es, uh...is everything OK, Kit?"
Julio was just listening to the older men as they walked.
        "Si, Hul...yes, it is. You know, she's like a hita to me, no?"
        "Si, Kit...bueno. She's a hot one, no?" Jul smiled, shaking his head, a
quiet "hoo" coming out with another breath.
        "She sure is, Hu, MUY caliente," and they laughed and reached the
cabin in a few more moments and Kit and the ladies made their usual tender
adioses. In a while more, he was back at his cabin gathering up a few things -
toilet stuff bag, sleeping bag and change of clothes bag - and took it all out to
his truck.
         "See y'all next week," he said as they gathered at his Dodge, "sure's
been a great one, huh?"
        "Could've been better," Es answered, giving him a real tight hug, then a
kiss on his lips.
        Kit found it within himself to let go after a few seconds, saying, "love ya,
Essy" and "love y'all" to the others as he went over to Juli to high five on his
way to hug Mari, then shook with Jul once more, got into his truck and pulled
out, waving to Maria as the kids and Julian followed him out to help with the
gate, where there was another goodby kiss from Essy after putting the gate
back together. She sure is a hot one, he thought, as he took the forest road
East and came out on the road going into Mora and drove on over the
Sangres to a small adobe two-room house in Talpa on the Southern outskirts
of  Taos.
        He walked through the open door (absent the screen door ever since
Leo had torn it off in the middle of one party) and into the hundred-year-old
casa and dropped his bags on the living room floor next to his bed, waking
up Dusty, who was probably faking being asleep on the couchbed anyway,
though Kit hadn't meant to wake him.

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