With all of the horrible things that people do to each other across the world every second of every day, it can really make it difficult to see the good in humanity. Many people don’t know and have never spoken to their neighbors, often out of fear of a confrontation due to differing views or fear of someone asking for a favor they can’t commit to. Strangers avoid eye contact or exchange dodgy glances when passing each other in the store out of fear of conflict or being engaged in a conversation they don’t have the time or energy for. People literally will go out of their way to avoid others because there are too many unfavorable outcomes in having to interact with another human. I have done it more times than I can count, even before I became a celebrity.
But when humans show the warmth and tenderness of their hearts, it really is a truly invigorating experience. In just two weeks, we’ve been able to make all of the arrangements for the promises we made to the Shoshone leaders for all three reservations in Owens Valley. All because so many humans decided to open their hearts for a bunch of strangers.
Angelique helped us with ordering all of the art and school supplies and we just paid for everything. Jo contacted the local veteran’s services, and since there are a bunch of veterans on all three reservations, she was able to arrange for over a hundred active service members to come help us with everything. And when I contacted a farm to order the animals and everything else for the micro-farms, they put me in contact with a group of contractors who donate a certain number of hours every month, as well as supplies, to families and communities in need. We’re going to pay the contractors, but it’s nice to have help from people who deal with low income housing problems on a regular basis.
The sun has just barely begun to kiss the horizon with the faintest wash of gray when my family, friends, the contractors, the farmers, and all of the volunteers begin our four-hour caravan northeast to Big Pine. And as we reach the tribal council building, the sun is just beginning to blossom over the Inyo Mountains, unfurling long petals in the sky with a gorgeous gradient of yellow, orange, pink, lilac, and dolphin gray. It reminds me of Elliot’s painting and it’s the perfect way to start this day.
While I’m standing admiring the sunrise with my wives, family, friends, and a dozen bodyguards, just taking a great big breath of calm before the work begins, the rest of the crew is parking all of their pickup trucks and big tractor trailers in the area designated by the tribal council. And as the wave of workers and volunteers begin to approach, fifteen of the Shoshone leaders from the three reservations come out of the tribal council building to greet us.
Chairwoman Eva Morningstar, wearing an enormous smile, shakes my hand. “Good morning, Kayla,” she nods towards my wives and family, “and loved ones. Welcome back to Big Pine.” She motions to the huge crew and all of the vehicles. “This is so much more than we could have ever imagined. What can we do to help?”
“We’re going to get everyone organized and some of the supplies unloaded, then we’ll need your assistance with directing the families to the appropriate stations when they arrive. We’ll also need someone to show the farm crews where they can start building the community micro-farm.”
She nods as she steps aside, and as I’m about to address the crew, my dad lightly grips my arm and points to a pickup truck. “You should get up higher to be seen and heard easier.”
The owner of the truck overhears and pulls the tailgate down, and Alek and Niko, my bodyguards, follow and stand on either side of the tailgate. After I climb up and face everyone, a surge of energy races through my veins and I feel like I could take flight and soar like the eagle in Elliot’s painting. I have a really good feeling about this day.
“Good morning!” Like a roll of thunder, the huge crowd answers me back and my smile widens. “I want to say thank you to every single person here today. But I know that not a single one of you are here because you want a thank you. Gratitude, recognition, while they are great, they’re not what moves any of you to selflessly rise before the sun and join a caravan out to the desert to help people you’ve never met. You’re moved by the joy you feel in knowing you’ve made a difference, no matter how small. A honeybee is a small and relatively fragile creature and it’s driven by one purpose – collect pollen and turn it into honey. But while it’s out gathering pollen to bring back to the hive, it’s moving that pollen from one flower to another, which is necessary for plants to bear fruit. The process of pollination ensures the biodiversity of our environment remains strong and healthy so all life can survive and thrive. Today, we are honeybees, pollinating to help our neighbors thrive and bear fruit. Like those small and fragile honeybees, there is no act of kindness that does not leave a positive impact on this world. And this,” I open my arms up at the crowd, “is a massive act of kindness that will be felt across the nation and across the globe and will transcend generations. Even though you are here because you want to be, I hope you understand just how much you are appreciated. With the full capacity of my heart, and that of my family’s, we thank every single one of you.”
The immediate response is a deafening roar of applause, whistles, and people screaming, “You’re welcome,” mixed in.
After they settle down, I motion for Madison and Jess to join me, and I offer them a hand up to stand on either side of me. I motion to each of them in turn, saying, “This is my wife, Madison, and my very good friend, Jess. Madison will be managing the organization and distribution of the art and school supplies. Jess will be managing the individual home repair projects. Both of them are experts in these areas, so please give them your full cooperation and support.” I look around the crowd, and ask, “Where is Tobin and Kathy Sunders?”
Both of them wave their hands and move closer to stand several feet in front of the truck, facing the crowd.
“Tobin and Kathy are with Sunders Farms and they will be working directly with the tribal council and will be leading the construction of the new community micro-farms. Each of you should have been given assignments from your immediate superiors, but if you’re unsure of which project you’ll be working on, please ask.”
I tell them where each group will meet so they can receive further instructions, then we hop down from the truck. And we don’t get two steps before Madison and Jess go right to work greeting their crews and giving them instructions on what needs to be done.
It’s pretty impressive to watch them take charge. When we were in high school, Sam and I helped with a homeless outreach program coordinated by an organization that Jess was working for at the time. She was pretty great back then, even though she wasn’t in change, but she’s incredible now.
When word got around to our families and friends about what we were planning, Jess immediately offered to fly out with Allie and help in any way they could. We were actually struggling with trying to come up with an easy plan for how to handle the home repair projects, but Jess has been involved in several similar projects and immediately had a solution.
The first thing both of them do is have the volunteers from the army set up several canopies with several folding tables under them.
Two canopies are designated with signs for members of the tribe to report to for help with home repairs. They will fill out a form with their address and phone number, then check off pre-suggested types of repairs that the construction crews are prepared to make today. If they have repairs needed that aren’t listed, they can explain and we will try to schedule those repairs at a later date. After the form is completed, a crew will select the items they need from one of the big tractor trailers that are basically mini-hardware stores on wheels, then they’ll go to the residence and make those repairs. When they return, they’ll be given another assignment. We have more than enough workers to be able to send a crew to every single home in Big Pine, so no one should be left out.
Madison first has the army unload the art supplies for the learning center, which the tribal council will organize at a later time. Then she has them set up the school supplies like she would set up assembly lines for fulfilling merchandise orders for our dance brand websites. There are three huge canopies set up end to end with two identical rows of tables filled with open boxes, creating an outdoor warehouse. The fourth canopy on the public-facing end is where the families check in for their supplies. There are two tables with chairs behind them, and behind that is a wire display wall with two rows of five styles of bookbags in each. The top row is for children under ten, and the second row is for children ten through eighteen. The only real difference between to the two groups of bags is their size. After they’ve completed a checklist with the items they need, they’ll select the bookbag they prefer, then someone will fill the bag with the supplies from the list.
Our family and friends are in charge of the school supplies, so after everything is set up, we thank the army volunteers and they return to their commanding officers to be split between the crews for the home repairs and the micro-farm. Once it’s just us, Madison runs through the process with all of us one more time.
She holds up a steel water bottle and places a hand on the first box in the assembly line. “Every kid gets one of these bottles. This is from Kayla’s website and is just a more personal gift to them.”
The bottle is one of my favorites and a popular item on my website. We offer it in a variety of colors, but to make things easier on the pickers today, Madison just ordered all of them in stormy gray. On one side, there is a lighter gray wolf paw print, and on the other side, in the same lighter gray color, it reads, “Choose to be better than you were yesterday.”
After putting the bottle back in the box, Madison continues, “The leaders for each reservation gave us a tally of the kids who need a computer for school, but we bought an extra twenty for each reservation just in case we need them. We have a list, but if they’re not on the list, twenty is our wiggle room. If we go through those twenty, we’ll have to take their names and have the computers sent to them. Any questions?”
As much as Madison loves singing and performing, she really loves this too and she is really glowing. And, damn, do I love watching her shine.
Sorina looks around, as if to see if anyone else is going to speak first, then asks, “Where are the computers and what are you doing with the extras if we don’t need them?”
Madison points to the mid-sized cargo truck that’s parked at the other end of the mini-warehouse she created. “We’re keeping the computers in the truck. Someone can stay inside to pass them down as needed so people don’t have to climb up and down all day. We’re going to save the extras for the next project because we anticipate we’ll be doing this again somewhere else.”
Jacob, Madison’s older brother, asks, “What happens if we only have girly bookbags left for the younger kids, but we have a bunch of boys that need bags?”
“The tribal council gave us a tally of the boys and girls and the two they know of who are two spirit or non-binary. We ordered way more gender-neutral bags than the others, so that shouldn’t be an issue.”
He smiles, and answers, “Sounds like you’ve thought of everything. When are families supposed to start showing up?”
Madison looks at her watch, then answers, “We open in an hour. While we have the time, I’d like to set up a couple of refreshment areas for the families and work crews.”
“Kayla?”
I turn to face my mom and Eerin, who is sitting on her hip wearing the biggest pout in the world with tears in her soft brown eyes.
“Oh, baby girl, what’s wrong?” I gently take her from my mom and she sniffles as I give her kisses on her cheeks and lips. “Was it scary waking up on the bus and not in your crib?”
“She sure didn’t like it.” My mom runs her hand over Eerin’s kinky black curls and wipes a tear off of her earthen brown cheek. “Not even Aura or her siblings could console her. She just kept crying for her mommies.” My mom rubs the side of her finger under Eerin’s pouty bottom lip, and as Eerin looks up at me, her little lips curl up into an adorable smile.
“There’s my beautiful, happy baby. I’m sorry you were scared. Did you have something to eat yet?”
“She wouldn’t eat.”
I give Eerin a kiss on the lips, then turn to my wives, who have abandoned the current mission and are watching and listening to make sure our baby girl is okay.
“I’m going to feed Eerin and spend some time with the babies to ease them into their new surroundings.”
“Okay.” Awenasa gives Eerin a kiss on the forehead. “After we have everything set up and ready to go, maybe we should bring the babies out and let them help with greeting and giving the bookbags to the families.”
I smile really big as I look down at Eerin. “I like that idea. Okay, I’ll be back soon.”
Sam steps out of the huddle of our wives, saying, “I’m going to come with you. I need to eat something and get off my feet for a while.”
“You okay, my love?”
She nods at Awenasa. “Yeah, my ankles and lower back are hurting.”
Awenasa gives her a kiss and combs her fingertips through her golden blonde hair. “Okay, go rest for as long as you need.”
This is the reality of being an adult with children and a pregnant wife – when one needs you, the world has to wait. Or rather, in this situation, I have to step away from the world. The rest of my wives, family, and friends will be able to keep everything operating smoothly while Sam rests and I tend to our babies.
As we climb the stairs of the bus, our babies squeal and Helaku and Malana come running over to us giggling and shrieking, “Mom, mom, mom,” which just melts my heart as it does every time.
I squat down with Eerin on one hip and wrap my other arm around both of them and give them kisses. “Good morning, babes. Are you being good for your grandmothers?”
Malana giggles, says, “Mom, play,” then pats my cheek and gives me a slobbery kiss.
“Okay, baby girl. Let me feed your sister first. Did you eat?”
Standing above me, my mom answers, “Yes, they ate very well. Eerin is the only one who wouldn’t eat. Her food and bottle are still on the table.”
I smile as I look at Eerin, who is just staring at me with glittering lovesick eyes and a beautiful smile. “You love me, don’t you?” Her smile widens and I release a small laugh. “I love you too, Eerin. Come on, let’s get you some breakfast.”
My mom takes Helaku and Malana’s hands to lead them back to a blanket to play with their toys, where Sequoia is still entertaining Montana, Chelsey – Jess and Allie’s baby girl, and Savannah – Sara and Keira’s baby girl. As I sit down at the dining table, Aura, my beautiful wolf, sits on her hindlegs next to me and licks my knee once, so I give her some pets and scratches for a moment.
“How you doing, girl? I’ll take you out for some fresh air after Eerin eats. Today’s going to be crazy with a ton of people around, so I’m sorry, but I’ll have to put a leash on you. I can’t have anyone trying to provoke or steal you or claim you did something that you didn’t. If things get too crazy, I’ll have to bring you back on the bus till the crowds disperse tonight.”
She licks my elbow, then lays her head on my thigh. I pet her again, then lift the spoon to feed Eerin. As I bring a bite of egg to her lips, she gets a grip on my ear, grins, then opens her mouth wide. After wrapping her lips around the morsel, I pull the empty silicone dipped metal baby spoon away and her little mouth goes to work mashing the egg. As soon as she swallows, she opens her mouth wide again and waits for me to give her another bite.
While I’m feeding her the second bite, Sam returns from using the bathroom, and my mom tells her to sit and rest while she prepares something for her to eat.
As she sits down across from me with a sigh, I ask, “How you feeling, babe?”
“Very drained. I’m tired, sore, hungry. Mostly tired. I don’t think I’ll be able to do much today.”
“That’s okay. You just stay on the bus for as long as you need. If you get cooped up and want to join us, we’ll get you a chair.”
“I’m going to try to take a nap after I eat, then I’ll probably come sit with you outside. I want to be able meet the families, at least.”
“Okay, babe.”
“Here, sweetie.”
My mom sets a plate down in front of Sam with a delicious looking roast beef sandwich and a baby kale salad. Sam has been dealing with some symptoms of anemia this week, especially if she does anything physically exerting, so she’s been having to eat more iron rich foods. Even though it’s early in the morning and a roast beef sandwich and a green salad isn’t a typical breakfast, it’s what she needs.
“Thanks, Lena.”
“You’re welcome. What would you like to drink? Some hot tea?”
“Yes, please.”
“Kayla?”
“Yeah, some hot tea would be great. Thanks, Mom.”
She smiles as she lightly runs a hand over my head, then returns to the kitchenette to make us some tea.
While Sam eats, I continue to feed Eerin her eggs, pears, and a small bottle of milk. After Eerin has finished every last bite of her breakfast, I bring over her to play with the rest of the babies and she doesn’t fuss or fight me at all. She sits down on the blanket between Montana and Chelsey and grabs a toy in each hand and releases an adorable squeal and some baby talk. After I give each of the babies a kiss on their heads, I return to the table to sit with Sam and my mom to have a cup of tea.
“Your father and I are trying to decide if we’re going to move back to Cherokee or out to where you and Sara live.”
“Really? For the herbal business?”
My mom nods as she takes a sip of tea. “It would be too difficult to run the business in two completely different states from the one with our processing facility. If we build our main greenhouses and fulfillment center in Cherokee, one of us would need to be there, and I know you all don’t plan to move any time soon. If we’re not going to build in Cherokee, then it makes the most sense for us to do so where we can all be there to oversee operations. Would you girls be okay with it if we move to…?”
“Are you kidding me? Mom, I would love for you to live closer.” I stand up and lean over the table to give her a hug and kiss her cheek. “I love you.”
“I love you too, angel.” She gives me a kiss on my cheek, and when I sit back down, she dabs at her eyes with a knuckle. “I’ll talk to your father, but I think it’s safe to say we’ll be moving close to you after Joey finishes this school year.”
“Oh, my god, I’m so excited. I’ll buy you a house as soon as we get home.”
She releases a small laugh and reaches out to pat my hand. “We’ll all look together.”
“What are you going to do with the house in Maryland? Are you going to sell it or keep it as a second home?”
“We’re going to keep it as a family home for all of us to use when we need to travel east to visit family and friends. Plus, the extended family still comes to stay on the property for the annual state pow wow.”
After swallowing a sip of tea, Sam asks, “Is Kent going to look for a new job in his field?”
“He’s going to retire at the end of this year. Once we launch the business and we’re in a comfortable groove, he may pursue something new – something more personal.”
“This is exciting. I knew this was going to be a good day. Between Jaime’s dance studios, the restaurant, our merchandise warehouse, your herbal business, and Sam’s planned science center, we’re slowly taking over the whole town. We’re taking the land back, one business at a time. Oh, did my wives tell you about the charity foundation idea?”
While we were planning this weekend’s big event, we realized this will probably lead to a flood of requests for assistance, more than we already receive. We can’t possibly afford to help everyone, financially or with our time, so we want to create a charity organization that can manage big projects like this or distribute grants for various causes.
Looking beyond happy and proud, my mom nods. “Yes, they told me about it while you were working yesterday. It’s a wonderful idea and I know you’ll have all the support you need to make it very successful.”
“I think finding the right people to run it will be challenging though because everyone I can think of off the top of my head already has their own obligations and responsibilities.”
“True, but obligations and responsibilities can change. If there is someone you feel very strongly about asking, then ask. You must follow your spirit so their spirit can be moved.”
“I’m so damn happy you’re moving closer to us so our babies can soak in that wisdom more often.” My mom releases another small laugh and lovingly pats my hand. “Oh, man, I’m excited.” I quickly stand up and give Sam a firm kiss on the lips and my mom a kiss on the forehead. “I have too much energy to sit any more. I’m going to take Aura for a run in the desert.”
“Okay, angel. Watch out for snakes.”
“We will.”
After I put Aura’s leash on her, I give them another kiss, give the babies and Sequoia a kiss, then we dart out of the bus. I holler to my wives, “Taking Aura for a run,” then pat her side, saying, “Come on, girl,” and we take off running for the desert with my bodyguards, Alek and Niko, trailing behind us. We leap over the occasional throw-pillow sized rock, two-foot tall shrubs, and bunches of flower-topped grasses. We probably get a mile into the desert before I slow to a jog, then a causal stroll.
“Okay, girl, do your business, then we have to get back.”
She releases a single bark, then begins sniffing around the ground. After she finds a spot that appeals to her, she digs through the dry earth, creating a small hole, then relieves herself and covers it up. She takes a few paces, looks at me, releases a long, loud howl, then jerks her head upwards. With a smile, I take off running for the tribal council building and the learning center.
I can’t wait to get home and resume my morning runs with Aura. There’s a small park near our L.A. rental I can take her to for a run, but I have to keep her on a leash, which just isn’t as fun as letting her run free. I love trying to race her, even though I know damn well I’ll never be able to outrun her. But it is one hell of a fun workout trying. And Aura loves it.
After probably half a mile, I start to hear Alek and Niko’s breathing becoming much heavier. I glance over my shoulder and see sweat beading on their foreheads.
Looking ahead so I don’t trip over a rock or shrub and faceplant, I call back, “How you guys doing?”
“Great.”
Niko agrees, “Needed this after that long drive.”
I just smile and look to my side at Aura. She has her mouth open in a broad smile. Yeah, we needed this too.