Bears in the Hibiscus, an excerpt
An introduction to the Montana Kahuna...a Valentine treat for my readers.
photo by: Janelle Meraz Hooper
Bears in the Hibiscus
Janelle Meraz Hooper
Mary discovers Mark is going to be in Hawaii the same time she is. He’s going to be touring the islands with the Hawaiian Park Rangers…
Chapter-3-
The Montana Kahuna, a few lines…
Mary was so busy getting her ducks in order so she could get out of town, she didn’t have time, at first, to think much about Mark spending the night at her house. When she did, she wondered why had he picked her house, when he had a brother nearby? Actually, he had his own place a few miles away, on his parents’ compound. Why was he spending the night on her floor?
Before she went to bed the night before his visit, she made sure he could find the floor. All of the old newspapers, newsletters and mail-ads were either banished to recycling or put into a box in her car trunk so she could take them to Ray, who ran the layout department. Other peoples’ magazines were a gold mine for layout and design ideas, not to mention leads for new clients for the advertising department. Mary would almost sooner throw away money than old magazines.
A rental car was in the driveway when she got home the next night, and Mary had a rush of guilt for not offering to pick Mark up at the airport...what was she thinking?
She forgot her guilt when she got a whiff of something wonderful. Something only vaguely familiar. Something—trout! She raced upstairs, not sure which sight was more welcome, Mark or the trout he and Kate were cooking in the skillet.
“Mark! You brought the fish, I could have at least cooked them!”
“That’s okay, Sis,” Mark grinned. “Kate wanted to learn how to cook fish that aren’t named Charlie.”
“It smells wonderful! I love the way you cook fish with just salt, pepper, and flour. I hate all those Frenchy sauces.”
“When there’s sauce on the trout, lookout!” Mark cautioned, “It’s probably covering up a fish that’s older than you are.”
“I guess being frozen kept them fresh on the trip.”
“Actually, I got up early and caught these before I left the park. You’d been without so long I figured you were due. Kept them cool in an old Styrofoam ice chest.”
“Did you get any strange looks at the airport when you checked your Styrofoam luggage?”
“No, the floor was covered with ice chests bigger than mine that belonged to people who had been fishing for Kings in Alaska. My little chest looked kind of pitiful next to theirs.”
“The best things come in small packages, they say.”
Mary left the cheerful cooks to change into a boxy pair of khaki walking shorts and a forest green tank top. She had a closet full of similar clothes. Her outfit was fine for the Northwest, especially since she was having dinner with a Montana Ranger, but she had trouble picturing it on a Hawaiian beach. She’d have to dig a little deeper into her closet and see if she could find something a little brighter.
Before she returned to the kitchen, Mary gave herself a quick look in the mirror. What looked back at her was a woman with long brunette hair and a medium frame. She was a few pounds lighter than the last time Mark had seen her, and she’d lost her tan. Both changes could be attributed to an increased workload. She hadn’t stopped any cars lately, but she thought she looked as well as she could without the benefit of one of those instant facelifts she kept reading about in the women’s magazines.
How she hated being the ex-wife. What would this ex-brother-in-law say to Brian the next time they spoke? Maybe, “I saw your ex, she looks pretty good for her age, but your new love is a real knockout.” It distressed her to imagine other people commenting, “I saw your ex, she had wrinkles all over her face! No wonder you’re shopping around for a trophy wife.” Well, she doubted that people would actually make those comments out loud, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t think them. Mary hated most to hear, “When I look at Kate, I can see just how pretty Mary must’ve looked years ago.” Mary loved her daughter, and they did look a lot alike, but who could compete with someone half her age?
Well, she was hungry, and she doubted that her two cooks would deliver fresh, pan-fried trout to her bedroom door. “There she is!” greeted Mark when Mary entered the kitchen, “How about some wine?”
“Oh, you must have found my cardboard box in the fridge,” Mary said as she held out her glass.
“Yep. Park rangers know how to find their quarry. It was marked Wednesday, so I thought it must be fresh.”
“Very funny. Actually, I’ve got a box dated Thursday, I’m giving you the old stuff.”
“It tastes good to me.”
Dinner was delicious. Mary looked down at a plate of fresh trout, green salad with raspberry dressing, and lightly buttered and toasted Como bread, and thought she was in heaven.
After Kate downed her trout like it was a burger at Dollar’s and left with a carload of friends, Mary and Mark settled down with fresh glasses of wine on the sundeck. Mary cringed as a whole flock of fruit bats flew into her big cherry tree. The crows stripped her fruit trees in the daytime and this was the night shift. Not surprisingly, she preferred the crows.
“So, how’s it going, Sis?” Mark asked as he eased into a deck chair that had seen better days.
“Not bad. How about you?”
“Good. I’m really looking forward to getting away for a few days. I didn’t get much rest this year after the forest fires started.”
“Kate and I watched the news every night. It was the worst we’d ever seen.”
“That’s for sure. We were lucky we didn’t lose any of the firefighters.”
The niceties were over, and Mary asked what she really wanted to know, “Mark, you know you’re welcome here, but why did you come here instead of the compound or your brother’s?”
“Mom is letting company from Minnesota use my house at the compound while they’re here on vacation. And I didn’t feel up to spending the night staring at the bare chest of Brian’s latest Seahawk cheerleader. I think he should start carding those girls. Besides,” he said with a twinkle in his eye, “I thought it would be tacky to sleep on my brother’s floor when I was thinking about dating his ex.”
Mary choked on her wine, and reached for a tissue from her pocket before wine came out of her nose. “Mark! Don’t go there!” Mary said with surprise.
“Too late! I’ve already bought a ticket! What’s wrong? Have someone else?”
“No...”
“I have cooties?”
“No...Mark, I like you, but I’m just not sure if it’s smart for me to get involved with a Bergstrom again. You’re a great guy, but I don’t think I fit in with the rest of your family.”
“Mary, you fit in just fine. Don’t be intimidated by the Bergstrom money. It has nothing to do with me or us.”
Mary was still wiping wine from her nose when she said, “I can’t help the way I feel.”
“Well, I always like to leave a woman in a state of shock, so I’ll go to bed now,” he said with a grin. “Thanks for the hospitality, sis. I’ll be gone when you wake up, so I’ll call you in Hawaii to see if you’ve managed to get your mouth closed yet.” Mary felt him hesitate as he walked behind her, but he kept walking. Was he going to touch her? Pat her on the head? What?
Whatever he almost did, Mary was glad he hadn’t. Her brain was occupied trying to list all of the reasons why their dating wouldn’t be a good idea. Mark had already left the sundeck, so whatever thoughts she had remained unspoken. She was left with an empty deck chair, half a glass of wine, and a big full moon that she was sure was laughing at her. Or was the laughter she heard coming from the bathroom where Mark was? She vaguely felt a mosquito chewing on her bare arm and swatted it with one hand while she finished her wine with the other. She groaned when she heard him turn on the shower. There was no question that Mark was a hunk. Knowing he was less than ten feet from her made her knees tremble. What would Roxanne do? The answer to that was easy. What was Mary going to do? “Nothing!” her friend’s voice ridiculed from the darkness.
The next sound Mary heard was Mark shaking out his sleeping bag. And fluffing his pillow. He made a big deal out of fluffing his pillow. There was something else. She was sure she heard another laugh when she scooted to the bathroom to get ready for bed. He was laughing at her. She was sure of it. And why shouldn’t he?
Kate was due in at any time, so any thought of giving in and crawling into Mark’s sleeping bag with him was pointless, even if she could find the nerve which, of course, she couldn’t. By the time Kate’s friends dropped her off in her driveway, Mark was already fast asleep. How could he do that? How could he make a pass at her and then just go to sleep? Mary was in her bedroom, wide awake, curled up into a tight, fetal position, with her pillow over her head so she couldn’t hear the soft gentle breathing of a man who was totally at ease on her living room floor. For now.
The next morning, Mary heated up the coffee that Mark had left in the pot and swore that it, too, was laughing at her. The living room was neat as a pin, and only a slightly wrinkled pillow rested in the easy chair. She resisted the urge to stop and fluff it.
-7-
Pineapple Park Rangers, an excerpt
Mark invites Mary to a beach party with his new Hawaiian ranger buddies…
…Mary looked at the clock in her room; it was only seven. She had a long time to wait until Mark picked her up at eight. She wished she had another one of the girls’ special drinks, but she settled instead for a cold cola from the machine at the end of the hall and a bucket of ice. The ice was for her arms and back. It was beginning to feel as if the lobster-colored burn on her back was growing a tail and claws. Mary decided the real traditional Hawaiian cocktail, for tourists at least, was a cola and two aspirin. The pineapple filled with frothy, alcoholic liquid she saw on Hawaiian television shows was strictly for the islanders, who were pain-free due to an abundance of skin pigment and brain cells.
The ice felt so good on her shoulders, she stripped down to her panties and rubbed it everywhere she could reach. A sudden pain in her sandals announced the arrival of severe, painful sunburn on the tops of her feet. She should cancel her date with Mark, but she didn’t have a phone number. He’ll probably take one look at me and leave me at the hotel anyway.
She’d planned to sit on the lanai, but the bed won out. Mary crawled in and prayed for a merciful park ranger to find another date for tonight. Maybe one of those bears he’d been talking about on the island. Anyone or anything but her.
The aspirin began to take effect and Mary became oblivious to the sheets tearing at her skin and fell asleep with her arms and legs stretched out so that no part of her body was touching that didn’t absolutely have to. Levitation. Levitation would be good. Oh, if it were only possible. Mary fell asleep—or maybe passed out—before she took off her sunglasses. Laughter in the halls and the rattling elevator door woke her up a few minutes before Mark was supposed to pick her up. Her heart thumped. Was that Mark? Had she locked her door? It wasn’t, and she had. It wasn’t like Mary to have embarrassing incidents, and she didn’t like the new trend she was setting. But it was time to get up and dress. Her new outfit had soft elastic around the shoulders, and fit loosely. Even so, Mary could feel the fabric chewing on her skin. What would she have done if she’d had to wear her linen outfit? Mary imagined blood seeping through the natural linen at the shoulders. She hadn’t just shopped when she’d purchased her new muumuu, she’d saved herself from a slow, Hawaiian death. Mary quickly pulled her hair back, changed the scrunchie in her hair to match her new outfit, and added her new shell earrings that matched her necklace. She had too much sunburn to even consider putting on make-up. All she had to do was pack her camera and an extra roll of film and she’d be ready. No, wait, she’d better take a swimsuit and towel. She had a moment’s hesitation when she stuffed her slinky swimsuit into her tote bag. When she’d bought it, she’d never imagined that anyone she knew would see her in it. Her faced burned when she pictured Mark looking at the soft mounds of her unrestrained breasts filling out the top of her suit, but she resisted throwing in a tee-shirt to wear over it. Oh, grow up! She chided herself. The man is as old as you are. He’s seen breasts before. Most of them bigger than yours, she thought with chagrin.
As it turned out, Mark never came up, he just buzzed her from the lobby. As Mary closed the door on her room, she glanced at the rumpled bedspread and assorted first aid supplies scattered around her bed. Obviously, she hadn’t given any thought to Mark coming up to her room when he brought her home.
Mark greeted Mary like a favorite sister, and didn’t mention her new outfit, for which Mary was grateful. She was a little uncomfortable with her ex-husband’s brother, and didn’t know quite how to act, until she glanced in the backseat and saw it was crammed with paper sacks filled with groceries. The Montana Park Ranger had been hitting the stores again. Mary laughed and let her head rest against the car seat. There was nothing to fear. Mark was Mark. Easy-going, personable, and the exact opposite of his brother.
“I see you threw your good sense and sunscreen to the winds. How long were you out today?”
“Don’t know, cooked too many brain cells,” Mary answered. “What did you do?”
“I went on a tour of the state parks on Oahu. They’ve got some great snorkeling and diving here. They say the visibility is one-hundred feet or more. I’ve just been snorkeling because I’m not a diver, but there’s plenty to see without strapping on air tanks,” Mark said enthusiastically. “It’s too bad I don’t have a degree in marine biology. Now that I’ve seen what’s underwater here, I’m curious about what’s under the surface in my own lake at the park. Probably just trout, but who knows? There could be something no one has ever seen down there. At the very least, there could be some freshwater shrimp. Some of our lakes have them. No one has ever looked around there. Anyway, I have to bring the girls back here someday. They would love it.”
“So would Kate,” agreed Mary. She wanted to tell him about her snorkeling experience, but she didn’t have the energy; she’d tell him later. “How’s it going with the other visiting rangers?” she asked instead.
“Great. We’ve even got some representatives from Alaska. They brought a whole box of frozen moose dogs to cook on the beach.”
“Moose dogs?”
“Yeah. Huge hot dogs made from moose. They’re delicious, I hear, and low fat. We’ll try some tonight.”
“Since when did you become worried about fat?”
“I’m not, just repeating the sales pitch I heard. Some guy from California is bringing cases of wine, and a guy from Washington is bringing a couple of kegs of micro beer.”
“So, what’s in the backseat?”
“Just some paper plates and cups. Oh, I also picked up some T-bones, potatoes, and a big coffeepot so we can make some coffee on the beach with the Wizard’s that showed up in the camp kitchen. There are also Hawaiian dishes, casseroles from Mexico, and caribou sausages from Canada.”
“That’s a lot of food. Did they have room for clothes?”
“No, they’re all naked as spiny lobsters, and about the same color. You’ll fit right in. And I don’t want my lobster getting in any car that’s driven by one of my ranger buddies. If they need to run any errands, come and get me. I’ve taken to following them from beach to beach in my own car because they drive like complete idiots when they’re sober. Who knows what they’ll be like tonight?”
“Got ya...thanks for the heads up. Do they do this often?”
“Yeah. They move around. Christmas is going to be at my lodge. Some of these guys have never seen a Christmas tree and snow except in the movies, so I’m going to do the whole White Christmas thing. I’m looking forward to it. Linda is taking the kids back east to spend Christmas with her parents, so I imagine I’ll be glad for the company.”
“What’s she been up to lately?”
“Oh, the three W’s, working, whining, and whoring...”
“Now, that’s attractive.”
“Sorry, but she keeps bringing strange men home in the middle of the night. The girls never know who they’re going to find in the kitchen in the morning, usually standing in front of the coffeepot scratching their butt in their underwear.”
“Oh, my dates do that all the time.”
“Right. When I spent the night, I saw how comfortable you are with men when I was on your sundeck. Do you always panic and blow red wine out your nose when a man makes a pass at you?”
“Hey!” Mary laughed and tried to refocus the attention on Linda. “Where does she meet all these guys? Men hardly ever ask me out.”
“They don’t ask her out either. They ask her in...or they ask her to go on out-of-town business trips with them.”
“All you men are alike and I don’t believe a word of it. Besides, when did you move into the monastery?”
“When the local girls saw my empty checkbook. And, keep in mind, there aren’t that many women in the mountains. My closest neighbor is a guy. Jackson Boss, ever heard of him?”
“His name sounds familiar.”
“He owns that big outdoor recreation company, Nisqually Jack’s.”
“Oh, yeah? What’s he like?”
“Real nice guy. He’s one of those guys that it’s hard to see how he got so far, he’s so laid back. We go fishing a lot. Sometimes, he puts floats on his plane so we can land right on the water.”
“He flies his own plane? Is that safe?”
“The way he does it, it is. I’d fly with him anywhere. Sometimes, he flies me around for the forest service. Our budget is too low to have our own plane,” he shook his head. “If Congress makes anymore cuts, I know some guys who are going to have to start a black market in fish and game just to make ends meet. Here we are,” Mark said as he pulled into a parking lot, “let’s take down the stuff in the backseat and I’ll introduce you to everybody.”
Mary followed Mark to a picnic area that had three tables piled with food and drink, and a huge campfire, but only about eight people were there, dancing to a raucous CD that seemed to be a local Hawaiian band. “Where is everybody?” asked Mark.
“Well, Kono took eight of the rangers who wanted to night dive out in his boat, then we’ve got some more doing a forced march on the beach, and some lovebirds here and there in the bushes,” said Halo, a Hawaiian who had a smile bigger than the Milky Way.
“Okay,” Mark stopped him, “I get the idea. Meet Mary. She’s family, so treat her nice.”
“Aloha, wine or beer?”
“Wine, please, red if you have it.”
“We do. Short on the white, though. We started out with a big wash tub of it because we were going to bob for mangos, but some guy from Alaska tried to put out a fire with it. Saw it in the tub and assumed it was water.”
“Was he hurt?” Mary asked.
“Naw...he just lost some of his eyebrows. He’s out on the dive now.” Halo handed her a big plastic cup of red wine. “Okole Maluna!”
When Mary looked at him quizzically, he explained, “Bottoms up!”
Before she had her first sip, Mary felt big arms around her and looked down to see a grass skirt being wrapped around her waist by her Hawaiian host. The grass rustled softly with his movements, and Mary thought it must have just been made, because it still smelled green. “There. Now nobody tell you from long-time native girl,” the big ranger said playfully.
“Thank you, Halo,” Mary said.
“Kipa Mai,” Halo answered.
Mary gave it a few playful shakes and Halo fell to the ground, seemingly overcome by her wiles.
Mark reached over and poured a cup of beer on his face, and repeated, “I told you, this one’s family; go find your own grass skirt.”
“Hey, man,” Halo teased, “she’s your family, not mine,” then he continued, “well, if I can’t flirt with the mainlander, let’s eat. Grab a plate, everybody. We’re not going to wait for the divers. They won’t be back until they run out of air.”
Mary filled her plate with piles of the native fruits and a taste of the poi; she wasn’t sure what it was or even if it was cooked, and didn’t want to ask. How could she not know? She’d heard about it for years.
Mark wasn’t nearly so shy. “Halo, what is this?” he asked.
“Oh, that?” Halo answered, “It’s poi, I picked it up at the local deli just to make the table look Hawaiian. I never touch the stuff myself.”
“What’s in it?”
“Basically, it’s just a root called taro that we dig up and pound into a paste. Sort of our version of mashed potatoes,” he said unenthusiastically.
“You’re quite a salesman,” Mark said.
Halo laughed, “The last time we took mainlanders fishing, one of them threw it over the side of the boat. He thought it was bait.”
“Okkaay, moving right along, papaya. That I can handle!” Mark said.
“I can vouch for the pork ribs. My mom makes them with a ginger teriyaki,” Halo said.
Mary wished his mom had come with Halo, so she could have gotten the recipe. They were definitely the best. First, they tasted sweet, then spicy, then hot, until Mary had to consciously stop herself from sucking on the bones.
It was a beautiful evening with stars thicker than rhinestones on a Las Vegas tee-shirt. She was aware she was feeling a buzz from the wine Halo had given her. How many glasses had she had? Two, three? Someone had put on a country western cd, and she heard a mournful voice singing about his lost loves, each one of whom had left with one of his pickup trucks. It was obvious the singer missed the trucks more than he did the women. Mark took one look at Mary and took her plate and set it behind them on the table. “Let’s take a walk, you’re getting weepy-eyed on me.” Mary took off the grass skirt because she’d never walked on a beach when she hadn’t gotten too close to the water. “So what’s the problem, you still moaning over my self-centered brother? Haven’t you heard the only lady he can keep is a bug?”
“Yeah, so Kate says.”
“He might be a dynamite businessman, Mary, but he’s a loser after 5:00. But if you want him back, I’ll help all I can,” he said sadly.
“No, Mark, I don’t want him back. I’m just tired of being alone.”
“What am I? Chopped poi?!”
“No, you’re great,” Mary laughed, “I’m sorry. And, according to you, I’m family.”
Mark drew her close and kissed her long and hard. “Welcome to Hawaii, little sister.”
“Did anyone ever tell you you’re a great kisser?”
“Yeah, and according to my ex-wife, I make love a lot better than my brother, too.”
Startled, Mary looked up. “Don’t ask, it’s the booze talking,” Mark whispered, “I shouldn’t have said anything and you don’t want to know.”
He was right. “See Mark? This is what I worry about. Here we are, maybe beginning a new relationship, and we’re dragging all of the baggage from our past marriages behind us. And to be honest, I have reservations about rejoining the whole family.” Her brain was getting fuzzy, and she had to struggle to finish her thought. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to measure up to your mother and dad’s standard of success.”
“You’re wrong about mom. She wasn’t always president of the Women’s Republican Committee. She stayed home and raised Brian and me just like you’re raising Kate. She has always thought you were the best. Dad can be difficult. But he’s that way with most people. He’s just not the warm and fuzzy type, not even with Brian and me,” Mark admitted.
Mary wanted to believe Mark, and the booze helped her loosen her resolve. She wasn’t even upset about Brian and Linda having an affair. Whatever their ex-spouses were doing, it was on their own time, and this was her time.
She lifted her lips to Mark’s and leaned into his body, savoring his manliness and the moment. She’d been alone since her divorce, and her body was hungry for everything Mark had to offer. The closer she got, the more she realized he did, indeed, have a lot to offer!
Mark pulled away to get a breath and was startled when Mary lost her balance. “Mary, you’re drunk!”
She was embarrassed to tell him that part of her wobbliness was his fault, and not the booze. Maybe almost all of it. “No, no, I’m not.”
“Yes, yes, you are. I don’t want you to sober up tomorrow and think I took advantage of you. Let’s rejoin the group. It looks like the divers are back.”
Mary was angry; she pulled up her fist, fully intending to punch him in the stomach, but he caught it and brought it to his lips, then drew her body into his chest, and held her there until she stopped shaking. While he held her, he whispered in her ear, “We’ve both been alone too long, but not like this, Mary. Come on, let’s go get your grass skirt. Nobody can be sad wearing one of those things.”
Mary put on her best face, not wanting to share her feelings with a group of strangers, besides, Mark had to socialize with them the rest of the week. She didn’t want to embarrass him in front of his new friends. As she waded through a pile of dive gear to get to the table, someone handed her a cold, icy fruit drink. Mary gulped it down; too late, she realized it was loaded with booze. Oh, well, what the hell? She reached for another, and handed one to Mark. After all, it wasn’t his fault she’d over-imbibed, and it wasn’t his fault she was his ex-sister-in-law, and it also wasn’t his fault he had a rich, driven family. But it was his fault he had much higher morals than his brother. Mary usually admired that in a man, but not tonight. Tonight she was looking for a man who’d roll her in the sand and pull her dress up over her head. Was that too much to ask? What the hell else was a Hawaiian beach for?
The next morning she woke up alone in Mark’s tent. She vaguely remembered him saying he was too drunk to drive, and that she could sleep in his tent, and he’d bunk with one of the guys. All through the night she’d heard laughter and song, and felt nothing but admiration for bodies that were conditioned to stay up all night partying. She didn’t think she was ever like that. Even in college, she’d always been the first to call it a night. The next morning, she was always told that she’d missed all of the fun.
Mary looked down to see she’d taken her dress off last night, and it was neatly laid out next to her sleeping bag. She did, didn’t she? Oh, she hoped she did. Oh, please, I didn’t let Mark undress me. She tried to remember, but all that came to mind was that her head hurt. Mark popped his head into the tent and offered her breakfast, but she declined. “Just, please, Mark, take me back to the hotel and let me die in my own rented bed.”
“Okay, but you’ll miss the ride in the canoe and the spreading of the rancid poi over the rolling waves of Kaneohe Bay.”
“Mark, I’ve known you to be mean, but never downright cruel.”
“Uh, you might want to put that dress back on before you make a dash for the car.”
Mary looked down to see she was mostly uncovered from the waist up; she must still be drunk, or she would have noticed she was unclothed around a man. Any man, not to mention a hunk like Mark.
Mary threw her dress on and ran to the car and, finding it mercifully unlocked, climbed in and tried to melt into the seat covers. As soon as Mark turned onto the highway, she took a breath and said, “Mark, I’m so sorry, you know I’m not used to drinking, but that’s no excuse. I don’t know what happened.”
“Not to worry. I know what happened. I asked Halo what was in that fruit drink. Turns out it was some kind of fermented tropical fruit mixture his mom made up once to seduce his dad, and it’s become a household staple every since. After I left you in the tent, I barely made it back to the gang before I passed out myself. How’s your head?”
“It hurts. Does that mean it’s still there?”
“Yep. There and just as pretty as ever.”
They pulled up in front of the hotel, and Mark leaned across her to open her door. With a devilish look in his eye, he said, “Next time I take you out, will you try to stay sober?” Mary didn’t bother to answer him. Thankfully, she made it from the lobby to the elevator without being spotted. She was a mess, and anyone who saw her would have assumed she’d had the kind of night she’d wanted to have…
Bears in the Hibiscus, one of my starting-over romances, is available in paperback and ebook on Amazon. It’s a good read, I promise!
For a change of pace, my newest novel, Geronimo’s Laptop, a historical fantasy, is available on Amazon in paperback and ebook. The audio version is available on AudioBooks.com
Geronimo’s Laptop- Geronimo wants to be friends with President Theodore Roosevelt so he might allow Geronimo and his band of Chiricahua Apaches to go back to their home in Arizona. Unfortunately, Theodore Roosevelt has never liked Indians, and he hates Geronimo! A historical fantasy.