THE FRIENDSHIP
(Has nothing to do with the Bonanza Episode by the same title).
Summary: This is the story of Adam and Tonka and one about friendship. It is also a story I needed to tell.
The creek rushed by, it’s powerful water pouring over the rocks forming small waterfalls. Watching the rushing water made Adam wonder why it was that human beings derived such pleasure by looking at and listening to water. Sitting on the creek bank, he took the book from his coat pocket, before buttoning his shirt up to his collar to keep warm from the cold. Still not warm enough, he brought his coat collar up to warm his neck and keep the cold from it. Looking up at the blue sky with it’s fluffy, white clouds dotting it every so often, he thought about how intense the blue of the sky was. It was Fall, his favorite time of year. The time when the sky was it’s bluest and the air was chilled but not the kind of chill that Winter brought. Watching the water rush down the creek, he looked down at the black leather book he held in his hands, it’s engravings of stained glass windows etched into it’s cover.
Without saying a word, the Indian sat next to Adam. They were of the same
age and had met as young men. “Read to me Adam Cartwright,” Tonka said.
Opening the book, he began where he had left off the previous time. And
as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his
disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents,
that he was born blind?
Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that
the works of God should be made manifest to him.
I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh,
which no man can work.
As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle,
and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, And said unto him,
Go, wash in the pool of Siloam. He went his way therefore, and washed, and
came seeing.
The neighbors therefore, and they which before had seen him that he was
blind, said, Is not this he that sat and begged?
Some said, This is he; others said, He is like him: but he said, I am he.
Therefore said they unto him, how were thine eyes opened?
He answered and said, A man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed
mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam and wash: and I went
and washed, and I received sight.
Then said they unto him, Where is he? He said, I know not.
They brought to the Pharisees him that aforetime was blind.
**************************************************************
“This Jesus. This God of yours, he make man see who could not see before?”
Tonka asked.
“Yes,” Adam replied closing the book.
“He was a special man?”
“Yes, he is The Son of God.”
“This God you speak of, what does he do for you?”
Watching the water in the creek rush by Adam replied, “My God made me and
you. He made the sky, the water, everything we gaze upon he made. He gave
me my family, the roof over my head and the food I eat each day.”
“You ever see this God?”
“I have never seen him, but he is there. I talk to him through prayer.”
“What prayer?”
“It’s where you need comfort or you want to heal somebody or well a prayer
can be about anything within reason.”
“Give example.”
“Well one would be: Thank you God for this beautiful day. For the deep blue
in the sky, the rushing water in the creek, the singing of the birds, my
friend Tonka and this time we have together, and for our friendship.
A-men. That is an example of what a prayer can be about. It can also be
one where you ask God to heal someone.”
“And he heal?”
“Tonka, there are things that happen in our lives that we don’t always understand
when they happen, but then we give it some time and we realize that sometimes
these things happen for a reason that we are unaware of.”
“Name one.”
“Well, why some years the Indians have plenty of acorns and have an abundance
of food. Then there are years where the Indians have little acorns and could
starve.”
“That when your father bring our tribe cattle so we do not starve.”
“Yes. You see things happen for a reason. That is one reason right there.
It shows the kind of man my father is that he would not allow your tribe
to starve.”
“Your father good man. He treat us well.”
“Yes he is a good man.”
“My father say your father need wife to keep him warm at night. He plan
give your father heap big squaw next trading time.”
Noticing the expression on his friend’s face, Tonka asked, “I say something
wrong?”
“No, no, no, no, no. It’s just you see in our way of life men like to choose
who they will take as a wife.”
“Your father not want heap big squaw?”
“Not that he wouldn’t appreciate the gift, but he would like to select his
own wife.”
“My father tell me, your father have three wives. This true?”
“Yes it’s true.”
“He have them all at one time?”
“No, no he had them one at a time.”
“What happen your mother?”
“She died when I was a baby.”
“My mother die when I baby too. Her name Evening Star. What your mother’s
name?”
“Elizabeth.”
“Evening Star, Elizabeth sound almost the same to me.”
“I understand what you’re saying.”
“I remember you telling me book your mothers. I remember right?”
“Yes, it was my Mother’s Bible. Sometimes it bring me comfort to hold it
in my hands knowing she once held it. See she signed it at the beginning
of the book. See right there, Elizabeth Stoddard,” Adam said pointing to
her signature as a young girl.
Taking the book from Adam’s hands, Tonka looked the writing. “It hard to
see.”
“Yes it’s hard to read. It’s faded.”
“Faded?”
“It means over time the ink has gone from night to day, dark to light.”
“Read me more. I bring book I find with me,” Tonka said handing Adam the
book. Thumbing through it Adam replied, “This is a book that has short poems
and children’s stories in it.”
“You read this one,” Tonka said pointing to one titled ‘Polly and Patsy.’
“Good morning, Mrs. Cockatoo,”
Said Patsy to his wife;
I never saw so fine a bird
As you, in all my life.”
“Thanks, Mr. Cockatoo,” said she,
“The words you speak are true;
I only wish that I might say
The same sweet things of you.”
“What have I done, Poll Cockatoo,
That you should treat me so?
I am as fine a bird as you;
A fact you ought to know.”
“O, don’t be hasty, Pasty mine,
The reason is quite clear,
You have been taught to speak the words,
And I have not, my dear.”
*************************************************************
“What that mean? Why she treat him bad? He not say anything wrong.” A confused
Tonka asked.
“Well I think it isn’t that she meant to treat him bad. She didn’t know
what she was saying, because she didn’t have the right words to say and
so he saw it that she was insulting him. That she thought she was better
than he was, but that wasn’t what she meant at all. He was just too quick
to judge her and didn‘t give her time to explain.”
“Oh I see.”
“Do you really?”
“No but me think I less confused this way.”
“I think you’re right. I think it’s best we not read this book.”
“I throw in creek.”
“No I can give it a child who will appreciate it.”
“You do that then.”
“Well it’s getting colder. I think we’d better call it a day.”
“Adam one more question. What is friendship?”
“Friendship is something that people have for one another. It’s a trust,
a special bond between people. It’s something that brings people together.
It’s understanding and being there for one’s friends when they need you.
It’s about forgiveness and about accepting apologies. It’s about caring
and so on and so forth. It’s about not holding grudges. There are many kinds
of friendships. Friendships that are for a reason, a season and a lifetime.”
“Ours is as you say a lifetime my friend?”
“Yes Tonka, ours is for a lifetime my friend.”
“Did you ever have friendship go bad?”
“Yes and it was due to a misunderstanding. One that I regret to this day.
It involved more than one person. It happened at a time in my life when
there were some things going on that even I didn’t understand until after
it all happened, and then it was too late. I wish I could go back and tell
these people that I am not that same person anymore and that I have no hard
feelings. How badly I feel about what happened and I wish I could start
with them all over again to show them I am not the terrible person they
think I am. I am not even the person I was a couple of months ago when all
this started. For the first time in my life, I really like who I have become
and it took what I went through to get me here.”
“Why you not tell them how you feel now?”
“Because I can’t go back to where I could tell them and I don’t know if
I did, if they would ever forgive me and accept me again. I only wish I
could let them know how sorry I am.. I am a really good person who just
took on too much, and didn’t know how to handle it. I tend to let things
pile up inside of me, and then when they hit me all at once, I just didn‘t
know how to deal with it.”
“I think they call that type person human being. Am I right?”
“Yes Tonka, that is correct. We are all human beings and we all make mistakes.”
“You yell on the wind that you are sorry and it get to them. It up to them
now to forgive.”
Looking up at the sky, Adam yelled “I’m sorry.”
“Now you go on with your life and live it. You have done the only thing
you can do. You must now put what happened behind you and move on with your
life. Taking the book from Adam’s hand he said, “Now you read this last
one to me.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, me like picture.”
Adam began to read, “The Kitty Kats.”
Three Kitty Kats were taking tea,
When all at once said Kitty Wee,
“One Kitty more
And we’d be four,
And then how happy we should be!”
“Here’s Hoppy Toad! He’d like a drink
Of milk, I know,” said Kitty Wink.
He hopped right in
To wet his skin,
But spoiled the Kitties’ tea, I think.
Closing the book, both men looked at one another. Taking the book from Adam’s
hand, Tonka tossed it in the creek. The two men watched it sail down the
rushing water, over the rocks until it was out of sight.
The End