21
Chapter 3
Bedtime with
Badger and Coyote
“If today had been a sh, I would have thrown it
back,” Eliza thought as she headed home that eve-
ning. Sometimes it felt like she was less of an execu-
tive and more of a babysitter. When she got home,
she found the usual chaos and mess. Her two young
daughters were bustling with energy, and her hus-
band, who had arrived home just moments earlier,
seemed oblivious to all of the commotion. Over
dinner, the girls jockeyed to talk over each other in
sharing the events of their day. They were lively, loud,
and showed no signs of quieting down.
After the children had been excused from the table,
Eliza’s husband, an architect, tried chatting with her
about his day. She sat, saying very little. When he asked
22 ◾ Transforming Teams
how her day was, Eliza brushed off the question in an
uncharacteristic way.
“Honestly, I don’t even have the energy to talk about
it,” she said.
Her husband shot her a puzzled look. “Oh, you got
a package from your sister,” he said, deciding to change
the subject. “It looks like she sent some storybooks for
the girls. Why don’t you give the girls a bath, read them
one of your sister’s stories, and put them to bed? It may
cheer you up. I’ll clean the dishes and tidy things up
down here.”
“Okay, thanks. I’ll do that,” she said.
Bath time was a raucous mess. Soapsuds covered the
walls and oor; the day’s dirty clothes and clean towels
were soaking in puddles on the oor; and the bottle
of baby shampoo that had been full that morning was
now empty, apparently having been used by the kids
to make bubbles in the bath. Eliza didn’t feel her mood
improving.
“Okay, girls, rinse off, get out of the bath, brush your
teeth and hair, clean up this mess, and then meet me
in your bedroom. I have a treat for you—we have some
new books from Aunt Jess.”
The girls squealed in delight and rushed to complete
their chores. In short order, they were scrambling into
their beds in the bedroom that they shared.
Eliza picked out the rst book in the stack and
started to read.
Across the arroyo, the dry stream, Coyote
scared up a rabbit and a dizzy chase began.
Bedtime with Badger and Coyote ◾ 23
The rabbit streaked through the saltbush with
Coyote snapping at its heels. For a moment, it
looked as though Old Hunter might eat well.
But the cottontail was too quick and squeezed
between some rocks by the canyon wall.
Coyote scratched around the hiding place
Figure 3.1 Coyote and Badger: Desert Hunters of the
Southwest, by Bruce Hiscock. Porter Corners Press; 2001.
24 ◾ Transforming Teams
awhile and then went to look for something
slower, or maybe something dead, to eat.
The children, who had nally quieted down, were
listening intently. They loved any books about wild ani-
mals and couldn’t get enough of them. Eliza continued,
Farther up the canyon, Badger emerged from
her den. She left her two pups safely under-
ground and waddled off as the air began to
cool. Badger was a night hunter, too, but she
seldom chased rabbits. She was a digger, not
a runner. Her short legs and long claws were
perfect for hunting animals that lived beneath
the earth.
Eliza paused to show the girls the pictures in the
book.
Badger and Coyote began hunting together
that very night. Coyote, the swift runner, led
the way to a prairie dogs’ den as Badger shuf-
ed along behind. Then Badger, the master
digger, went to work. With Coyote standing
guard, there was no safe place for the prairie
dogs, above the ground or below. Soon each
partner had a full belly. . . . In the nights that
followed, Coyote and Badger became a fear-
some team. Not every hunt was successful,
but it was much better than hunting alone.
Bedtime with Badger and Coyote ◾ 25
Eliza continued the story, which went on to describe
the way the two animals hunted together. By the
time the story was complete, both girls were mostly
asleep. Eliza kissed each girl on her forehead, tucked
them in, turned out the light, and departed with the
storybook in her hand. Her husband found her relaxing
on the sofa and rereading the book with a puzzled look
on her face.
“You look better. Good book?” asked her husband,
amused to see her engrossed in a children’s storybook.
“Yes. Really good! I mean, it’s beautiful and a lovely
story, but it may be just what my team needs,” said
Eliza with conviction.
Her husband’s eyes narrowed. “Your team needs a
story about a badger and a coyote?”
“You have no idea. It’s exactly what they need,” she
said with a smile.
* * *
Tuesday morning arrived, and Eliza woke with a
feeling that she could only describe as optimism. Sure,
many problems remained. In fact, all of them remained.
But a glimmer of a strategy was emerging, and that was
all she needed.
She scheduled a meeting for late that morning and
asked Kirby, Claire, and Dave to attend. She had Bruce
Hiscock’s Coyote and Badger book on the table and a
smile on her face. As the three entered the room, it was
clear that tensions had not abated overnight. It was also
clear that each felt justied in his or her own version
..................Content has been hidden....................
You can't read the all page of ebook, please click here login for view all page.