Chapter Nine, Two Weddings Summary and Analysis

Practicing medicine amongst the Navajos led Alvord to expect the unexpected, but Alvord was not prepared for what happened to her next. In 1993, Alvord was involved in surgery and happened to be assisted by an Army Special Forces medic trainee named Jon Alvord. They had positive interactions several times and after a few days, Jon asked her to lunch. (Dr.) Alvord had no idea why she asked him, but decided to go.

At lunch, they made small talk. It turned out that it had taken Jon two weeks to get the courage to ask her out. Additionally, he was twenty-three, she thirty-four. Alvord decided not to let the age difference bother her. In Alvord's dating career, she'd dated all kinds of people, most of whom were Native Americans. She had no prejudice against whites, but...