On The Pathway

A young man always visits an old Native American man sitting a mountain path with his legs crossed.

"Jesus." Timotee said. "Wearing the same scowl and get up I see!" Shouting across the way. He turns my way. He wore old clothes, almost from a different time. His shirt was a collared dark blue one that only had three buttons. His jeans were folded slightly at the bottom to reveal clubbed up old leather shoes that had definitely seen better days.

"Yes, Timothy? What is the issue with my face?" he said.

"Don't think I didn't notice you say my name wrong, Joseph. It's Tim-o-tee. I said condescendingly.

"Yes, yes, and my face isn't scowling today, Timothy."

"Tch, whatever, what's on today's agenda OLD friend."

Joseph smirked at the comment of his age. Picking up his old fleece coat," The skies will be clear today." "Let's go for a walk." He said all knowingly.

Taking a quick glance at the weather on my Apple Watch I look up at him to find that he's already on his way down the path. "How did he...?"

As we walked in silence for the most part, I took notice of perhaps the only Native American designed piece of fabric on him. He kept it well hidden on the inside of his coat. I could tell it was a full leather pouch with a decorative pattern of beads on it. Each bead was red, white, black and looked well taken care of.

"Nice pouch." I spoke.

He flinched when I mentioned it and quickly tucked it away.

"Thank you."

"Hey, you know, we've never actually talked about what tribe you are from."

"Why should that matter?" he asked.

"Well, I just figured it would be important to you." I countered.

"I suppose it was, before I was forced to go to that damn school." He said full of bitterness.

"Yeah, I feel that. School is a real pain in the ass." I shrugged.

"That is not what I meant." he whispered. It was at this point I could tell something was on his mind.

"What did you mean by school?" I asked.

"Let's just say that you're not the only one who has a school that he hates." he said.

"Yeah, I don't particularly make the effort to do very much in school. I just want to get in and get out; and deal with as little as possible." I quipped.

"Do you ever feel the need to look around and smell the roses perhaps?" he asked.

"No. Even at my job. I don't find anything particularly interesting about it, I have it just to have it. I feel that way about most things. I'm just there to be there. Nothing more, nothing less. Then again, I can't say I enjoy the activities that I do either."

He stopped walking so abruptly I almost hadn't noticed. He stretched his arms out and took a deep breath. "Tell me Timotee, what did you think of our little nature walk?"

The silence fell a bit longer than I had expected.

"The dirt was nice and uh... brown I guess?" I managed.

"Over an hours long walk and all you can mention is the dirt?" he asked matter-of-factly.

"No!" I said," I'm pretty sure we also passed a sign a while back. I think it said slim winner something or other."

"Well maybe you would know more if you weren't looking at the ground or gawking at my pouch." You could tell he was annoyed.

"Ok, Joseph." I said trying to change the subject.

Joseph was acting strangely, however.

"You look down too much while the world passes you by Timotee. I can tell that you live this way just from these past few weeks we've known each other. Just from this walk alone you didn't take in the true beauty of the nature around you. The spirits of the trees or the way the breeze sings throughout the air and across the mountains. You even missed a wild rabbit digging into its burrow to feed its young. For a young man such as yourself to be missed out on so much... it saddens me my friend." he implored.

I looked downward, pondering his words and what they meant. He was right. In all my life, no one had ever spoken to me with such supplication. I doubted anyone ever would again.

"Look at me, Timotee. Really look at me." he said.

It was only then that I realized that I'd never examined him this closely before. His eyes were small and had crow's feet from his age. His cheek bones were high and defined, but thin. He had a rather small scar near his temple, and his nose was large. His chin came to a point and his lips were small. However, the most defining feature about him was the grey streak of hair that was on the upper right side of his head. All of his hair was jet black except for that one grey streak.

Joseph took a deep beath and exhaled," So, you finally noticed?"

"My given name... from my tribe is Greywulf, and it seems I've finally returned to my homeland." "Timotee, thank you for helping me follow my path and find my way back. I couldn't have done it without you my young friend."

I started to peer downward again, but he stopped me midway.

"You really need to stop that bad habit, and look up every once in a while, for the both of us..."

With that, he pointed up to the sky. I'd never remembered it being so blue in my entire life. Then the breeze came, and when I looked forward again, Greywulf was gone.

On the pathway back home, I'd never felt the world as I did before. For the first time, the world was a palette of wonder and beauty that I had the chance to experience.

Though not before stopping at the sign that said, "Wind River Reservation", looking up at the sky and saying," Welcome home, Greywulf."