Theo hiked through the conference center, searching for “Manzanita.” The rooms didn't have numbers, they had names like Cedar and Ponderosa, which didn't help when everything was beige walls and brown doors. As soon as he found Arnie he was out of there. Arnie would just have to deal with it. The more he thought about it, the more ridiculous the proposal sounded. He had no idea how to coordinate people, especially for a big event. It was better to show up as a grunt worker and follow instructions while the rest of it was up to someone else. Arnie needed to find someone better suited for the job.
He rode down an escalator and walked under a banner welcoming people to a convention for the flooring industry. A hand-lettered sign that said “NATG,” directed him down another hallway.
Ester would have made a joke about the Ind'ns being an afterthought stuck into the worst corner of the events center. He couldn't stop thinking about Ester. Something that great shouldn't have ended so badly, but dealing with disappointing people was wearing him down to nothing. He still hadn't told his folks or his grandma he was leaving school. Ester was supposed to be his refuge, not another person to let down. She'd said the words: she didn't want him. It was best to leave it alone.
He should probably talk to Professor Stone, too. For what it was worth, she was right. She had given him a chance. Lots of chances. It wasn't her fault his situation was so precarious. That was his own decision.
"Theo!" Arnie's shout echoed down the corridor. He struggled through a heavy door with a crummy hand truck, one arm looped around a stack of boxes that wanted to slide off. Theo ran over and grabbed the door until Arnie pushed the cart through.
"These things come out of the factory half-broken." Arnie kicked the wheels with the toe of his boot.
"It's overloaded," Theo said, picking up the top box and hoisting it onto his shoulder.
"Story of my life." Arnie reset the rest of the boxes and pointed ahead. "I'm glad you're here. I forgot how squirrelly college kids are. You get a half dozen in a room and their hormones go ballistic."
"I'm a college student," he said automatically. Soon that wouldn't be true.
"You don't have a squirrelly bone in your body," Arnie said. "You're going to be the one to reel them in."
"I wanted to ask you about that," Theo said.
"One sec," Arnie said. He nodded at another door. Theo held it open while Arnie pushed the cart. Inside, four young men and five young women waited. Once again, Theo found himself in a room full of Indians. He set the box down on the table.
Arnie said, "You all have better things to do, so we'll make this quick. Theo, these are nieces, nephews and friends from the rez. Guys, this is Theo. He's the one in charge of wrangling you. Introduce yourselves later. You all are the latest in a long history of successful interns who began their careers making packets." Arnie gestured to the stacked boxes. "One of each item per folder. Put the finished folders in the empty boxes. Start now, while I talk. Tomorrow morning there will be more people to help finish them up."
Arnie searched his pockets with growing frustration. Theo reached into his front pocket and pulled out a pocket knife, which he held up with a questioning eyebrow.
"That's it," Arnie said. "I must have left mine somewhere."
Theo set two tables end-to-end and then cut open each box and lined up the conference materials on either side, assembly-line style. It didn't take long to catch on to what Arnie meant. The guys sized him up one way and the women in another. The ladies elbowed each other until one of them went to great pains to catch his eye. This was Arnie's family. Theo made a point of returning his most paternal smile and gestured they should come up and get started. They assembled packets while Arnie talked about the days ahead.
"Once the conference starts, we'll be in this entire half of the convention center. We've got Ind'n leaders from all over the country. Your job is to help people find their meeting rooms, answer questions about the city, and assist presenters as needed. Theo will hold the schedule and tell you where to go."
The packets came together quickly. Theo didn't miss the nudging and whispering among the interns. He tried to remember if he'd ever been like that.
Arnie lectured them on proper behavior, appropriate dress, and how to network. "What's the point of being an intern if you don't get anything out of it? If you plan to work in Indian Country, this is a great place to meet people."
Theo tried to imagine all these leaders who were so eager to meet a bunch of college kids. He had nothing to say to someone like that. He needed Ester's three things.
Arnie wrapped up the meeting and told them when to be back. Theo packed up the completed folders for distribution in the morning.
One of the women came over to him. "A bunch of us are going out after this."
He appreciated the gesture. Until he’d hung out with Ester, he didn't realize how much he missed having friends and doing things with other people. But he saw the interest in her eyes. She was pretty, but even if she weren't connected to Arnie, she wasn't his type. At the moment his heart was still tied up with an Eastern Shoshone with big brown eyes and messy brown hair who was busy forgetting about him.
"Maybe another time."
"I'll keep that in mind," she said with a smile before hurrying back to her friends.
Arnie had his phone to his ear. He waved at Theo. "Do you have time to go to dinner?"
"Is there any point in saying no?"
Arnie laughed. "We're on our way," he said into the phone. They headed toward a steak house across the street from the convention center.
As if sensing his unease, Arnie said, "Don't worry. My treat. You got something to wear to the conference?" Arnie had on a suit that probably cost two weeks’ worth of moving jobs and ride sharing.
"I don't have a suit," he said.
"Slacks and a shirt with a collar?"
He'd had a similar conversation with Pete when he interviewed for the job at Frenzy's. "I clean up good."
"Just checking. It's not for my benefit, it's for yours," Arnie said. "This is a good event for you."
Theo didn't have the heart to explain he was headed back home to live with his folks. Once there, he would ponder the options that would put his aptitude for physical labor to good use.
Inside the restaurant, Arnie waved to someone in a booth. "I got another job for you. My cousin works for a regional timber association."
Before Theo could object, he was shaking hands with a short man with skinny legs and a round belly.
"This is Derek," Arnie said.
"You're not what I thought," Derek said. He used one hand to shield his eyes as if looking up to a great height.
"I get that a lot," Theo said.
"Who's your people?" Derek asked.
"Jicarilla Apache."
"I haven't been down that way," Derek said.
"It's a long way from here," Theo said.
"That's how it is in the west," Derek said as they settled into their seats. "Meat and bread going to be okay?"
"Any food is fine," Theo said. "Thanks for taking care of me."
They put in their orders and talked about sports and local issues. Arnie and Derek went back and forth about a family dispute that involved Auntie June's chickens and the use of a shed. Theo had no problem finishing everything set in front of him, even the green salad, before they finally got down to business.
"Our organization needs conference coverage," Derek said. "We want you to act as a reporter. Summarize what's going on for our website. Short, sweet bites. Short film clips. Later you can write it all up for the tribal paper."
Theo gave Arnie a questioning look.
"You'll have time," Arnie said.
Theo didn't think Arnie had a clue about how much time it would take, but this was exactly what Professor Stone's class had trained him for.
"Try to talk to some of the speakers, if you can. Get behind-the-scenes nuggets." Derek folded his hands in front of him. "We got budget to pay you."
"I'd be getting paid for two jobs at the same time?" Theo said.
"You're a natural," Arnie said. Derek laughed.
"We can introduce you to others in the association. We could use someone regular," Derek said.
"One thing at a time," Theo said. He'd left the house planning to get out of this so he could finish packing and get all this behind him. But he liked these people and the work sounded okay, too. He let the idea roll around in his head. Derek and Arnie discussed various tribal issues and the upcoming conference. They spoke about forestry and policy goals. He tried to follow.
"What do you think of all this?" Derek said with a grin. "You work with tribal organizations before?"
Theo exhaled. "No. I get called when they need muscle. Not…" Theo made a vague gesture. "It's a lot to take in."
"Anything here work for class?" Arnie asked.
"What do you mean?" Theo asked.
"Like when you interviewed me, can you work some of this stuff into a class project?"
"Class is finished," Theo said.
"I thought Katie said you had another week or two."
"Not for me," he said. Off Arnie's questioning look he added, "I'm not passing her class. I was already on iffy ground with my financial aid so I'm done."
"I'm disappointed to hear that," Arnie said. His concern sounded genuine, which somehow made Theo feel worse. "Is there anything I can do?"
"Like talk me up with my instructor?" Theo said, raising an eyebrow.
Arnie traded a quick look with Derek, then laughed. "That's complicated."
"I don't need to know," Theo said.
"I'd like to hear," Derek said.
"Later," Arnie said. "Don't say anything to Ester. I don't want everyone gossiping about something when I don't even know what it is."
"Not a problem. The thing with Ester is finished, too," Theo said.
"Wow, you're having a bad week. Ester's a good one. I'd fix it if you can. You find a good Native woman, don't screw it up."
"He would know," Derek said.
"I am the reigning champion of missed opportunities," Arnie agreed. "Don't give up on school. It might not be as bad as you think. Were you planning to transfer to the university in town or go somewhere else?"
Theo shook his head. "I hadn't planned for that at all. You know, the whole financial thing."
Arnie brushed the statement away. "There are all kinds of scholarships. We can get you taken care of."
"They don't give money to people like me," Theo said.
"People like what?" Arnie said. Derek made a face as if he were offended.
But it was obvious, he was a big brown guy who intimidated people by walking into a room. No one looked at him and thought, This guy is good scholarship material.
"You're serious, aren't you?" Arnie said. "You're smart, you're hardworking. That's the kind of person who wins scholarships. Derek's organization gives out scholarships. Kiss his flat brown ass."
"No, don't," Derek said.
Arnie paid the bill and stuck the receipt in his wallet. "Don't give up. We'll talk more about it. I'll see you when the conference starts."
The only reason Theo had shown up was to tell Arnie he had the wrong guy, and somehow he had two jobs and a crazy notion that school could work out. If there was one thing he wanted to learn from Arnie, it was how to trick people into doing things they had no intention of doing.