Oriel, part 6
by Joe Rathbun
SOO YAN-O'S PLANS: JUDY ACCEPTS, ALEX ACCEPTS WITH DIFFICULTY - NO MORE DAUGHTER

"So what's the scoop with Soo Yan-O? What happened? How did she
get there in California?" Alex asked as he turned transmitter off,
but left the receiver on for any further calls.

Judy Strong-Girl explained all that transpired up to the point they
talked on the ham radio. She then went on to explain Soo Yan-O's
plans.....

Taking advantage of her already adult size of 5-foot-3, approaching
120 pounds, Soo Yan-O will begin dancing, bikini-clad, topless or
nude, depending on what is desired, for night clubs. She will go
by the nick-name Alex gave her, Oriel. Dancing only! No
prostitution!

Many night clubs rarely if ever check on IDs or backgrounds of
their dancers. Dancers come and go all the time. So it will be no
problem claiming she is 21 years old. And Soo Yan-O herself will
come and go often. For the next seven years, until Statute Of
Limitations expire regarding the killed school worker, AND the
rail-road bums, she will do this, constantly on the move.

She will live frugally, saving up her considerable earnings from
dancing for future possibilities. Maybe Alex and Judy can fly to
where ever Soo Yan-O is at any given time for visits. BUT Judy
advised, and Soo Yan-O agreed, NOT NOW. Let the murder case and
all trails become cold. Then there can be visits.

But she will not return, not for at least seven years, to her Ute
Indian reservation home, or to Alex and Judy, unless, Soo Yan-O
added, they move. Otherwise, until after seven years, visits will
have to be accomplished by Alex and Judy coming to Soo Yan-O.

Alex was fighting back tears after Judy Strong-Girl finished
telling him this. Judy was stoic, in that American Indian way...

Alex, struggling with a voice trying to crack, said, "But she'll
never be a child! Look, she struck out without knowing that she
could kill! She was just scared! She just wanted out of there and
back home with her Mom and Dad... and birthday..."
Alex fought mightily to keep back tears and hold his voice
together. He concluded, "The jury of a court will understand!"
"No!" Judy replied, "Not for an Indian. She'll be sent to reform
school for sure! I have seen or heard about this kind of thing over
and over again! Then she will have a life 10,000 times worse than
what she and I plan for her. They would torture her. They would
completely break... her... beautiful spirit..."

Judy's voice was trying to crack too. She swallowed hard, then
continued, "This is what it is like to be Indian, Alex. You
rejected being a White man, and now, you have an Indian Woman, and
an Indian Daughter. And, you have Indian heart-breaks..."

Alex looked over to that electronic organ, sitting unused, covered
with sheets, in the corner. His vision of it was blurred by tears.
Swallowing hard to keep voice in tack and prevent sobbing, as he
was trying to emulate his Indian Wife, he asked, "What'll we do
with that?"

Judy looked toward the organ. After some contemplation she said,
"Keep it! After seven years, the price of organs like that one will
have gone up!"

Alex continued to fight back tears as he still sat on the wood
chair in front of the ham radio.

After some silence, Judy Strong-Girl, still nude from before and
sitting on the sofa, said... more like ordered, "Alex! Come here!
Sit by me! I want to feel your warmth and I'm sure you can use
mine." She smiled at Alex and patted the sofa space next to her to
gesture, as well, for him to sit next to her.

When she smiled, her bright brown eyes beamed, inviting! Alex
admired that rugged, strong, admittedly course-featured face with
her lovely dark reddish-brown skin, and all framed in luxuriant,
free-flowing black hair. Oh sure, Judy's perhaps was not a face for
the cover of any number of fashion or men's entertainment magazines
that regularly feature some sterilized face of computer-like
perfection. But Judy's face was certainly for Alex, expressing True
Love, warmth, and understanding just for him. 

Alex wasted no time in getting up from that chair and settling next
to his warm and strong Judy and absorbed her sturdy spirit. Her
bare body sure felt good next to his. She put her solid feeling,
firm arm around Alex's shoulders and squeezed tight.
"Don't worry, Alex. She got through the worst part. She'll be just
fine. My Soo Yan-O is a WARRIOR! Your Daughter, is a Warrior!
She'll defeat ANYTHING that comes her way!"

They just sat there, with Alex admiring, completely enthralled by
this magnificent Ute Indian Woman, feeling that he had the greatest
treasure possible. He felt privileged, that she gave her Love and
strength to him, instead of to a Ute Man, who certainly would have
been more deserving of such a Woman. Pretty, beautiful, brave,
sexy, strong in mind, robustly spirited and big hearted... My
goodness he thought, how did I get so lucky!

"All right you, Alex! Enough of this sitting around! Soo Yan-O is
all right and is going to get on with the rest of her life. I
suggest we do as well. We need good sleep. We haven't had any these
past few days. Let's go to bed! Maybe we have a little more fun,
huh? And then sleep! You got a business to run, and, so do I. I'm
way behind on my pottery orders! Let's go!"

And on to bed with Judy Strong-Girl... Alex went!