HURITT

As I walk around between the kids at the club, I admire their efforts at making a drawing of their families. We have prepared the wall outside the club with painted wooden frames and clips to display the artwork made. Our guests can admire the drawings on their way to the supermarket or the laundry room, and the parents will do too when they come to bring the children.

"That looks great... Good job..." I say to a chubby boy with great drawing skills. "What's your name?"

"Jason," he says. He misses his two front teeth and has freckles all over his face.

"Nice to meet you Jason, I'm Huritt," I sit next to him.

"You have a weird name," he gives me an odd look, making me laugh.

I walk back to the main table where Amy cuts strips of paper for our activity of tomorrow. The kids are crazy about her and I can see why. Besides being the sweetest woman in the world, she looks like a doll with her curly black hair bunched up at the top of her head and wearing her peach colored uniform. There are marker stains all over her hands. She looks up at me with her beautiful light blue eyes and smiles.

"That kid there just told me I have a weird name," I sit next to her and grab a pair of scissors to help her.

"Well, you have to admit that you and your brothers have uncommon names," she smiles at me. "At least I have never heard them."

"I know they are out of the ordinary, but they are our tribe names and only a few people have ever called us by our real names."

"That makes some sense, but I always hear that you are not supposed to use your tribe name outside... Well, the tribe."

"And that is the case, but tell that to a bunch of stubborn boys. The family had no other remedy than to call us by them, even Grandpa."

"What is your real name then?" She stops cutting paper to give me her full attention.

"Hayden."

"That is also a nice name," she arranges the strips in a neat stack.

"It is, but Huritt is more special," I wink at her and feel embarrassed when I realize she isn't even looking at me.

"What does Huritt mean?" Her gaze returns.

"Handsome," I grin.

"You are joking," she laughs.

"I'm not. It's also a great pickup line."

"What about your brothers? What do their names mean?"

"Rowtag means fire, Istu means sweet, and Kitchi means brave. The curious thing is that Grandpa gave us those names as babies and they hit the mark. My oldest brother is passionate about his projects and the people who surround him. Istu is the kindest man you will ever meet, always ready to help, and Kitchi is fearless. I've seen him tame wild horses."

"Fascinating. I have only known them for over three months, but I can see those traits in them. What are their English names then?"

"Richard, Isaac and Keith."

"Nice names as well, but I can see your point about calling yourself by your tribe names. People won't forget you easily. Have you ever lived in a reservation?"

"Never, but we have lived in tons of places. Grandpa grew up in a reservation but moved out when he finished high school. Then he met Grandma and only returned for social events. Since I was born, we moved to wherever my father had to supervise the starting operations of a hotel. Once everything ran smoothly, we moved again to the next hotel. Luckily, we spent the summers at my grandparents' farm and that gave us some normality. We had friends there and a place to call home."

"Your face tells me how much you loved it there. And you studied Marketing, what are you doing in a kid's club cutting strips of paper?"

"I worked for my grandfather Mueller, when he owned the Royal chain, after I graduated. It was a pain in the beginning because people thought I was an idiot who was taking advantage of family relations. I had to work hard to prove them all wrong and gained enough experience and knowledge to lead all the marketing activities here at the ranch. I like knowing my clients so I can understand their needs. Right now, we need smaller tables," I point at two little girls whose feet dangle from the chairs. "And cutting paper by hand tells me we need a paper guillotine to make the process more efficient."

"Impressive," Amy chuckles and it warms me inside.

The activity alarm goes off, and it's time for us to deliver the kids back to their parents at the lobby.

"Well guys, tomorrow we will make paper chains to decorate our picnic area. Remind mom and dad to come and look at our gallery after breakfast," I say as the children begin the rumble of gathering their things.

They all assemble by the door and our second kid entertainer leads them back. Amy and I are left alone, and we gather the little works of art and organize the supplies.

"We have worked together for a while, and I've never asked you: why did you apply to work with us?"

"The short story is that we used to live in the valley and moved to the city over ten years ago. The move was hard for my brother and he dealt with it by becoming rebellious and getting in trouble. He was released from the penitentiary recently, and I decided to move back with him for a fresh start in a familiar place. I saw the vacancies on the supermarket board and it was a good match as I used to work in a day care center."

"And how's your brother doing?"

"He is a different man now and wants to show it, but his past will always follow him. He's ashamed of the things he did and feels remorse, served his time, but people still judge him. Life is difficult for him at the moment."

"Does he have a job?"

"No, he gets turned down everywhere because of his criminal record."

"What was he in jail for?"

"Drug dealing. One of his friends was shot during a night out, and he stayed with him, even when he had drugs in his possession. The police arrived, arrested him since they knew him, and found the drugs. His friend died, and it opened his eyes to the reality. He pled guilty and paid for his crimes."

"Do you think he would like to work here?"

Amy stops arranging markers in a jar and stares at me.

"Huritt, are you serious?"

"It's not a promise, but I can talk to my brothers. Kitchi is struggling at the farm, and now word has spread about the trail rides. Check with him and if he is interested, tell him to come by tomorrow to have a chat with Rowtag and Istu. They have the last word on the hiring."

"Thanks!" Amy gives me a hug. Her body suddenly stiffens, and she moves away quickly. "I'm so sorry. I'm usually not affectionate like this."

"Hey, there is nothing to worry about. A hug is a beautiful expression," I try to make her feel at ease.

"I'm just thankful you want to give him a chance. He is losing hope, and I'm so scared he will fall into his old habits to earn money."

"I'll do my best."

We finish working in awkward silence and say goodbye at the end of the shift. I then head upstairs, take a seat in front of Rowtag and pull my laptop towards me.

"How did it go today?" He asks.

"Good. The kids are funny and seem to enjoy themselves. I will put up their artwork at the gallery tomorrow morning. I need to ask you and Istu a favor," I look from one to the other. Istu stands up from his desk and sits next to me. "Amy has a brother who's trying to turn his life around. Do you think we can hire him?"

"What's wrong with him?" Istu asks.

"He is fresh out of jail and had a past as a drug dealer. Nobody wants to give him a chance," I look at him and see the empathy in his face immediately.

"Huritt, that would be a risky step for us," Rowtag begins. "We need to think about the safety of our guests and our reputation."

"I know, and I do, but come on! How can he become a better person if he can't show he has changed? There is plenty of work lying around here. Kitchi has his hands full with the farm, and I don't know if you have noticed, but he is spacing out often. I would feel more at ease if he has someone keeping an eye on him besides the farm work."

"We could give him a chance with a fair warning," Istu says while adjusting his glasses. "Maybe this is just what he needs; a good place, filled with positive people where he can work hard and keep his thoughts away from his past. I'm sure Kitchi will like having someone around. I also agree with Huritt, Kit isn't doing well lately."

Rowtag leans back on his chair and seems to mull over Istu's words. He cocks his head to the side and lets out a small sigh.

"Okay, I agree to hire him. I assume you told Amy he could come to see us," Rowtag says, and I nod. "What's his name?"

I recall my conversation with Amy; she never mentioned his name or how old he is.

"I don't know, but I assume they will come together, and she will introduce him to us."

"Good, that's settled. What are we going to eat tonight?" Rowtag wiggles his eyebrows.

"You know there is a restaurant downstairs, right?"

"Yeah, but I want to eat in my boxers," he shrugs, making me laugh.

At the end of the day, and a good hot shower, we sit down on our comfortable couches to enjoy our dinner and relax. The work in a vacation complex never seems to end, and that's why we enjoy every moment of doing nothing. I only hope I'm not making a mistake by bringing Amy's brother to the ranch.