David

The hair on the back of David Eagle Wing's neck rose, causing him to pause and look around. There was something about this night that seemed different, but he couldn't say why. It wasn't the fact that he was working in Walgreens in the middle of the night. He had gotten used to living life under the glare of florescent lighting. Strange as it sounded working the night shift was not as bad as one might imagine. David had always chaffed under the watchful eye of management and there was a certain amount of independence working through the night. There was enough to do, but he could decide when to do what. Occasionally, in the middle of the night, a customer would come in needing assistance, but otherwise he could set his own pace without someone always standing over him.

On his knees now David began unpacking a large box of disposable diapers and putting them on the shelf, his thoughts were drawn back to the couple he had passed on his way to work. He had seen some desperate people and situations since he had arrived in Springfield, but this was, without a doubt, the most miserable. By the sounds he had heard, as he walked by, it seemed, unbelievably, that the woman was in the beginning stages of labor. Her cries had been filled with fear and pain.

Such desperation was not new to David, who had grown up on the Crow Creek Reservation. David Eagle Wing's family was part of the Sioux tribe. Locked on the reservation, David's people had always felt trapped and desperate. The land was desolate and hard. Southeast South Dakota had never been good farm land and the Sioux had never been farmers. The Sioux had had a proud tradition as warriors and hunters before the arrival of the Europeans. They had always been nomadic, following the migration of the wild animals. For many generations now his people had been left behind, lost between two worlds; unable to live by past traditions, unable, and unwilling, to conform to "the ways of the white man".

"Hello, David." The voice startled and frightened David. He sprang to his feet and twirled around. Standing before him was a tall black man, all dressed in black.

"Don't be frightened, David. You remember me, don't you?"

The fear in David's face softened to uncertainty and bewilderment. "Hel ..., ah ... Hello, Gabe." At a loss for words David began to straighten his Walgreens vest, which had gotten twisted in his abrupt rising. In the moment of awkward silence, David's mind filled with a multitude of questions. How is this possible? How did Gabe find me here? Is this really just a coincidence? What is going on?

Seeing Gabe reminded David of the feeling, only minutes earlier, of the hairs on the back of his neck rising. It was the same feeling as the first time he had met Gabe. Suddenly other memories began to fill David's head and tears began to well up in his eyes, as the pain of those days returned. David remembered how his younger brother, Sam, had committed suicide. Sam seemed to have been filled with the disconnectedness and uncertainty, the desperation and helplessness of his people. Like so many of his friends, Sam found the pain easier to bear with alcohol. It had been an easy slide down into the use of various other illegal drugs. David had tried to stop his younger brother's downward spiral, but how was he supposed to convince Sam to look for hope and be of good cheer, when he himself had so little of both.

Sam's suicide devastated David. For weeks he wandered the reservation aimlessly. He had started to drink heavily, trying to drown the pain that engulfed him. It was in a drunken stupor, as David lay on an isolated hillside, his face turned toward the starlit sky, that suddenly the hairs on the back of his neck rose. David forced his eyes to focus and there standing before him was Gabe, dressed then, as now, in black. Filled with fear, David sat up. Then, as now, Gabe had said, "Do not be afraid." There had been something reassuring in Gabe's voice and David's fears melted away. Their meeting had been brief. It was Gabe who suggested that David leave the reservation for a while and go in search of himself. So David began his own personal "walkabout", which had brought him to Springfield, Illinois, and, for a while at least, the night clerk's job at Walgreens. That night meeting on a lonely hill in South Dakota was the only time David had seen or talked to Gabe. And now here was Gabe, standing in front of him.

Wiping the tears from his eyes, David finally spoke. "It's good to see you. What can I do for you?" Somehow David knew it would do no good to ask how Gabe had found him, so he let that question go unspoken.

Smiling, Gabe said, "I need your help, David. I am sure you saw that couple in the vacant lot just a couple of blocks away. The woman has just given birth and they could use some assistance."

"What do you want me to do, Gabe? I have very little money, I can afford only my one small room, and I am not supposed to have guests overnight," David replied. If the truth be told, David really didn't want to get involved or be burdened with responsibilities. Who knew what this couple would want or demand.

"David, this is a great couple and a child to die for. The miracle of birth is a power that can light up any darkness. Just stop by and say hello. You know, a kind word and a smile are also gifts we can give. I know you will do the right thing." And with those words, Gabe turned, walking out of the store and into the night.

"What am I going to do?" David thought to himself. But just as quickly came the reply, "What else can I do?" And with that he called out to Jack, the security guard, telling him he had to run an errand for a friend and would be back soon. Just as he was about to leave, David had a thought. He went back to where he had been stocking the shelf and grabbed a bag of disposable diapers. After going to the cash register and paying for the diapers, he picked up a couple of flattened cardboard boxes. With the cardboard boxes under one arm and diapers in hand, David walked through the door. Spotting a shopping cart on the sidewalk, he place the boxes on the bottom of the cart, threw the diapers in on top, and pushed it in front of him in the direction of the vacant lot.

Jose heard the shopping cart's wheels long before he could see it. As the sound came nearer, Jose stood to see what it might mean. He watched closely as the cart and the man pushing it continued in their direction. Jose and Maura stared wordless as the man and cart halted in front of them. They did not know what to think or say. Before them stood a man with long, dark, straight hair, pulled back in a ponytail. He wore a heavy plaid flannel shirt with a Walgreens vest over it, blue jeans and boots. His face had the angular features, weathered skin and smooth shaven face of a Native American.

David spoke first. "Hi, my name is David. Gabe asked me to stop by and say hi." He wasn't sure why he had mentioned Gabe. It had just sort of slipped out.

A shudder went through both Jose and Maura when David spoke of Gabe. "Gabe?" Jose questioned. "A tall African-American? Dressed in black?" David nodded. "You know Gabe?" Maura continued.

David shrugged. "We had met before, and he just showed up at the store a little while ago. He told me I should stop by and say hello. Said you were a great couple, with a wonderful child. He thought you might like company. I brought a cart. Thought you might be able to use it as a crib. I put some cardboard in for insulation. Also thought these diapers might come in handy."

"Thank you!" said Maura, warmly. "You are very kind. We welcome your visit."

"What's the baby's name?" David asked.

"Hope." Jose replied.

It was as if the air had been knocked out of him. David stared from Jose to Maura to Hope. Hope. In this dark, cold, desolate place, in this miserable condition and yet they name their baby Hope. He looked again from Jose to Maura to Hope. And then David understood. He was touched in a way he could not explain by this place and this birth. He felt the love that overcame the darkness and the misery.

Shaking Jose and Maura's hands good-bye, David returned to work filled with joy. He did not know completely what it all meant, but he knew that he had found Hope.