Cabbage Patch Cowboy By
Waddie Greywolf Chapter
15
Ranch folks are
up before the sun to get an early start on the day. Most folks who live
on a ranch have put in a full eight hour day by the time the average
man starts work. The Crenshaw ranch was no exception. Besides, the
family wanted to see their big football hero brothers and their new,
junior rodeo, champ brother off. Conversation at breakfast was
about when Earl D. and Billy Bob were coming home again, and would they
bring Waddie with them? Dad Crenshaw asked why he didn't stay for a
week with him, Ma Crenshaw and the boys; they'd love to have him?
Waddie told him he'd love to but his angel was pretty definite about
him sticking with Earl D. and Billy Bob. For some reason, unknown to
Waddie at the time, his two big brothers backed him up. Dad
Crenshaw seemed to understand.
Waddie had two
weekends before he agreed to visit his Aunt Agatha in Dallas for a week
and be with his brother, Gip. He told them he just might be able to
talk Dad Dan and Momma Sue into letting Gip stay with him a week and
bring Gip with him to the Crenshaws. Dad Crenshaw loved that idea, so
did the boys. Waddie told them it was only speculation. He didn't know
if he could pull it off. He'd keep in touch. Waddie had the next two
weekends free. Earl D. and Billy Bob usually came home every other
weekend but sometimes made exceptions. All the brothers were begging
them to bring Waddie back next weekend,— please. Dad Crenshaw didn't
say anything to his boys. He didn't have to,— they could read him like
a book. They laughed and kidded Waddie all the way back, if they didn't
bring him back the next two weekends they would be pariahs to the men
in their family to say nothing of their mom and little sister.
The boys got all
their stuff put into the back of the truck, and a tarp thrown over
everything. All the brothers shook hands, hugged, kissed and cried with
Waddie. The youngest and prettiest, Shad, captured Waddie's heart. He'd
been in Waddie's lap every chance he got, and Waddie never turned him
away. The rest of the Crenshaws were amused and touched by their bond.
Waddie exhibited great patience and maturity in dealing with his
younger brother. He became Shad's hero. He didn't want to let Waddie
go. Neither did the oldest Crenshaw man, Waddie's new addition to his
list of dads.
Waddie hugged
and kissed Ma Crenshaw goodbye, and she cried, too. Dad Crenshaw was
last, and it was apparent to all, he didn't want to say goodbye to his
new son.
"I don't cuss
too often, Son, but,— damn it,— we love you, Waddie, and want you to
know you're welcome here anytime. Come back when you can, Son, there'll
always be a chair at the table for you and a pony in the barn for you
to ride. Heal quickly, Son, in body and spirit, and let the love of the
folks who care about you heal your heart. Come back home, Son, we love
you."
Dad Crenshaw
hugged and kissed Waddie. Waddie shed a few tears and let go.
"If my
caretakers can make it back, I'll be here the next two weekends. I'd
love to. How is it possible, I could fall in love with you folks in one
short weekend and feel so at home here? Trust me Dad, Ma
Crenshaw,...your son will come home again."
They waved
goodbye as the boys drove down the gravel road. Waddie had tears
running down his face and Earl D. held him tight. They passed by the
Franz's place and saw lights on, Waddie nodded to Earl D., he nodded to
Billy Bob who was driving and turned the truck to drive down their
gravel road. The three Franz came out and the men said their
thanks and goodbyes to the Franz. Bubba called
yesterday afternoon to speak with his parents but mostly his little
sister. He found out how Waddie was doing, and asked if the family
liked him? Brenda Lou told Bubba, Dad Crenshaw was thinking about
trading all the boys in on Waddie. She said Bubba laughed for three
minutes. The Franz were so grateful the boys stopped by to say goodbye.
Brenda Lou gave Waddie a special big hug and kiss to pass on to her
Bubba the next time Waddie saw him.
The boys were
back on the road and burning up some black top. They set their stop
watch leaving the Franz' place. They stopped for a break but decided to
stop the watch. They weren't going to include stops anymore, just
actual time on the road. They knew they needed to let Waddie's rear
take a break from sitting. Earl D. went to the restroom with him, and
put more ointment on several bad spots. Waddie thanked him; it made a
difference. They got a drink of water and were on the road again. They
made it to the curb in front of Mrs. York's boarding house in an hour
and forty nine minutes. The boys speculated why they made better time
coming back than going home.
"Simple." said
Waddie.
"Okay, little
brother, why?'
"It's downhill."
They all laughed but there was a vague question in the back of Earl D.
and Billy Bob's mind if there might be a shred of truth to the idea.
* * * * * * *
Bubba told Gus
to tell Waddie he was way ahead of schedule, and if everything went as
planned he'd roll into Waddie's town around noon on Wednesday. After he
returned with another load, he was thinking about taking a small
vacation and going home for a couple of days. Waddie counted on hearing
from everyone Wednesday.
Mrs. York had
lunch ready when they got there. The six other students were there. All
but the grad student were athletes on the football team with Earl D.
and Billy Bob. They were huge men and ate with a vengeance. Mrs. York
made up a plate for Waddie, so he wouldn't have to compete with the
giants and their well developed boarding house reach. It was giggled
about, but there was always enough food for everyone.
Earl D. and
Billy Bob had some catching up to do with their buddies, and Waddie
left them alone. He went in and started helping Mrs. York clean up
after lunch. With Waddie's help she was finished an hour earlier than
usual. She took a brief nap before she started dinner. Mrs. York
couldn't thank Waddie enough, but told him he didn't have to help.
"Please, Mrs.
York, it gives me something to do, keeps me out of Earl D. and Billy
Bob's hair for a while, and they get a break from the kid."
"That's mature
thinking on your part, Waddie. Most kids would insist on being around
the big boys all the time and drive them nuts. It's a good idea to give
them a break,— and darlin,' I can use all the help I can get." she
threw back her head and laughed. Waddie laughed with her and got busy
scrubbing pots in the metal sink on the back porch. Then he wash and
dried the dishes for her. He did a good job and Mrs. York was pleased.
Waddie asked
Mrs. York if he might make a local call to the bus station for leaving
and arrival times for a bus to Dallas. He wanted to take a trip for a
week to visit his Aunt Agatha. Mrs. York told him all local calls were
free. She showed him a clipboard attached to the phone stand on a long
thin chain. There was a pencil stuck under the clip.
"If you want to
make a long distance call, put the number you're calling here and the
charges. Ask the local operator to instruct the long distance operator
to give you time and charges. Then write it down in these two spaces."
Seemed simple enough to Waddie.
"You'd be
surprised. You'd think kids who were bright enough to get to college
could do this simple task, but I always have one or two calls someone
doesn't remember. I know all their home phone numbers, and nine times
out of ten it will be the number called. They just forgot to log it.
They still pay." Waddie shook his head and laughed. He promised he
would log every call. Mrs. York had no worries about Waddie. Somehow,
she knew he would.
He decided to
travel to Dallas starting in the early afternoon from Austin. If he
went to Bandera with the boys and they got back before noon on Monday,
then they'd be able to take him to the bus station after lunch. He'd
try to get a bus out somewhere between one-thirty and two. He'd arrive
in Dallas approximately four hours later. Earl D. gave him a note pad
and a pencil. He cleared it with the boys if it sounded like a good
plan. He'd find out the time and his aunt would meet him at the station.
They thought it
was a good plan. He called the station and told the lady who answered
the phone the time he need to leave. She explained the buses normally
had to stop to load and unload passengers at each major stop along the
way, and the time to Dallas would be five and half hours. However, for
two dollars more she had an express Continental Trailway to Dallas,
with only one rest stop in Waco, leaving Austin at one forty-five P.M.
and arriving Dallas at six thirty-five P.M. For an express bus he
should get his ticket at least three days in advance. Of course, they
could sell him a ticket any time before that.
Waddie noted the
ticket price for a child under twelve and was surprised at how
reasonable it was. Six dollars and ninety-five cents. He had the money,
why not go express? He thanked the lady and hung up. He was set and had
something to tell Aunt Agatha the next time she called.
The men spent
the afternoon studying for their class the next day. They had homework
to do for the three classes they were taking. They needed time to
themselves. They had classes Tuesday morning, Wednesday morning and
afternoon and two classes on Thursday. They had more time to study and
less activity in their lives so they devoted more time to study. The
better grades they made in summer school the better their grade point
average. They weren't doing too bad. Earl D. was on the dean’s list
every semester and Billy Bob made it several times.
Waddie
understood and made himself busy. He walked to a big drug store
emporium just off campus, bought several magazines and a couple of
books to read. He was hooked on Zane Grey Western novels. They always
had a widow woman with two boys, maybe a little girl, a young boy and
an older stout young man trying to take his dad's place. His dad had
been murdered by a ruthless land baron who was going to get their
spread if it was the last thing he did. (usually was, too.)
Then one day
when things looked the bleakest for the small family a ruggedly
handsome, quiet spoken drifter, a saddle tramp, with a mysterious past
rides to their front door. He asks only for water for his horse, to
sleep in the barn for a night, and he'll be on his way in the
morning; however, he'd chop the rest of the cord of firewood for
the lady. She feeds him, he stays, fights, kills the bad guy,
marries the widow woman and becomes an outstanding dad to her boys.
(Waddie always wanted him to become the lover of her oldest son, too.
That never happened; however, he was sure the son wanted it to.)
Waddie bought
some envelopes, stamps and a smaller lined writing pad in case he
wanted to write some letters. The afternoon went by slowly and he got
bored. He went to the kitchen and Mrs. York was like a whirlwind. He
asked if he could do anything for her, he was bored. He didn't have to
beg. Next thing he knew he had a bowl in front of him, she handed him a
vegetable scraper and a sack of potatoes. Told him not to stop until
she hollered, or he got tired.
Waddie sat
pealing potatoes for over an hour when she hollered stop. She gave him
a slicing knife and showed him how she wanted them cut. He cut them up
and put them in a large pot she sat on the counter in front of him.
When he finished, she covered them with water, and sat them on the
stove to cook. She ask him if he wanted anything else to do or was he
tired. He told her to bring it on. She kept him busy all afternoon and
had dinner ready almost an hour early. She hugged and thanked Waddie
for his help. Mrs. York told him to tell the guys she was going to ring
the dinner bell thirty minutes early and to be ready.
Waddie told all
the men and washed up himself. He put on a clean Western shirt and his
new boots for dinner. After Mrs. York rang the bell the men came to the
dining room and stood behind their appointed chairs. No one sat down
until Mrs. York sat down. She brought in the last item and told them to
sit. She assigned Waddie a seat next to hers. She asked Earl D. to say
grace. Earl D. said grace and everyone started in.
"You gentlemen
are having dinner a little early this evening thanks to some unexpected
but greatly appreciated help. Our youngest guest was kind enough to
offer a hand, and he was a big help. Thank you, Waddie, I appreciate
your help." The guys all said, "Yeah, great. Thanks, Waddie, and of
course, you too, Mrs. York. We don't tell you often enough we
appreciate your efforts to keep us fed, and we love your cooking."
'And well they
should,' Waddie thought to himself. He hadn't had a bad meal since he'd
been there. Mrs. York wasn't a fancy cook, but it all tasted good and
there was lots of it. Waddie couldn't believe the amount of food some
of the larger football players could put away, and he thought Buck was
a big eater? He found out the school paid Mrs. York extra for the
athletes board because they ate so much. They encouraged them to eat.
They wanted them big.
They were all
big except for Earl D. and Billy Bob. Earl D. was a quarterback and
Billy Bob was a receiver. The brothers played football all their lives,
and they found the perfect combination for them was Earl D. as
quarterback and Billy Bob his receiver. Earl D. knew where Billy Bob
would be at any given time, and Billy Bob had a sixth sense as to where
to be after Earl D. threw the ball. They rarely missed.
Waddie was
keeping an accounting of his money. He didn't want to spend it without
planning. He decided to set aside a certain amount for phone calls and
that would be his limit. It had been several days since he talked with
Buck and Linda Sue. He decided to call them and another friend. He
called person to person. The rates were a little higher, but the
operator would ask for a specific person, and he could make sure Buck
was there. Buck was home when he called.
"Waddie, is 'zat
you?"
"It's me, Dad."
"Thanks for
calling, sweet baby, I been thinking about chu’ all day and hoped you
might call this evening. How you doing, cowboy?"
"A lot better,
Uncle Buck. Damn, I miss you so much."
"I miss you,
too, Waddie, more'n you can know. I told Dan last night, life don't
seem to have the same happiness without our boy. He agreed. He misses
you as much as I do, so does your brothers. What chu' been up to,
cowboy?"
"I had a great
weekend, Dad. I went home with Crenshaw boys and met their family. They
have six younger brothers and a wonderful mom and dad."
"Not the Texas
Longhorn Crenshaw brothers— ?"
"Uhhh,— it 'ud
be them, Uncle Buck; Earl D. and Billy Bob."
"My God, in
heaven,— you're with the Crenshaw boys? Holy shit! Wait'll the guys
hear about this. Wait a minute,— Mr. Urial told us we'd heard of them,
but we wouldn’t believe him if he told us! Damned if he weren’t
right! Dan will shit. We're big fans of theirs. Did you have a
good time, Son?"
"Yeah, Uncle
Buck, I had a real good time. Their dad is a top notch roper. He and I
had a great time. I got me two more dads." Waddie laughed, "I just sort
of collect 'em. Dad Crenshaw and Bubba's dad, Dad Franz are two of the
finest men I've ever met, Uncle Buck. I love Bubba's dad and ma, his
little sister Brenda Lou, but Uncle Buck, the man I fell in love with
over the weekend is Dad Crenshaw. He thinks I'm okay, too. Want's me to
call him ‘dad’ and I do with pride, Uncle Buck. You'd love Dad
Crenshaw. He's another Dad Dan. Very similar. I roped with him for a
while. He's damn good, but after a while they had to lift me off
my pony, my rear started hurting so bad. It’s getting better. The boys
are taking good care of me. Earl D. or Billy Bob put Bubba's ointment
on me after every shower." Buck heard Waddie talking to some one. "Earl
D. wants to say 'hi,' Uncle Buck."
"Sheriff
Claymore,— this is Earl D. Crenshaw."
"Well, I'll be,—
good to talk to you, Son. I's just telling our boy we're all big fans
of you and your brother. Waddie tells me you men are treating him fine.
I want you to know how much we appreciate that."
"We took him
home with us, our six brothers and mom fell in love with him, but we
almost didn't get him away from my dad. He thinks the world of Waddie
and made us promise to bring him home as often as we can. He told
Waddie to call him ‘dad’ and told him our home was his. Never seen my
old man take to anyone like he done Waddie."
"That's
wonderful, Earl D. I hope I get to shake your dad's hand one day soon,—
you and your brother's, too."
"Love for you to
meet him, Sir. I know he'd enjoy meeting you. We heard about you at
church when dad introduced Waddie at Sunday services. It’s a small
world, I guess. A member of our church was in France with you. He put
your first name with Waddie's middle name and asked Waddie if his
uncle's name might be Buck Claymore?" He said an awful lot of good
things about you, Sheriff Claymore."
"What's his
name, Son?"
"Waddie? What's
the man's name who was in France with your Uncle Buck? Okay,— Johnnie
Mack Tamplin, Sheriff."
"Oh, thank God
in heaven, Johnnie Mack made it home safely. That's wonderful news,
Son. I was with him when he was hit and helped carry him behind the
lines to safety. I hoped he got sent home. He's a good man. I went on
to Iwo Jima, and he was shipped home. I lost touch with him, but now I
remember his folks were from Bandera. Could you get his address and
phone number for me, Son? I'd sure appreciate it."
"Waddie gave him
yours and told him how to contact you. He said he'd be calling you
soon, but I'll be happy to get the information for you, Sir. Our
little brother, here, can't talk about anything else but his brothers
Gip, Oatie, Clyde, his Uncle Buck and Dad Dan. Billy Bob and I are
looking forward to meeting you. Bubba talked to his dad and said he may
be rolling in there before noon on Wednesday."
"Yeah, Son, he
called and told us. We can't wait to meet him. Waddie has a large
family of folks who love him. They want to thank Bubba for being so
good to our boy. We're killing the fatted calf for 'em." They both
laughed.
"Good! It's
great to talk to you, Sheriff, here's Waddie again."
"Damn, Son. You
be keep'n some fine company with them boys. They're the best. Look,
sweet baby, I ain't gonna' pressure you to come home. Sounds to me like
you're learning to be on your own in the world, and doing pretty damn
well for yourself. Don't worry about me or Dan trying to come after
you. Mr. Urial will let me know when he's ready for you to come
home. We trust him, Son. He seems to be doing right by you. Just be
sure and let us hear from you often, Son."
"Give that big
Grizzly bear a hug and a big kiss for me, Uncle Buck. You're gonna'
like Bubba, I promise. He gave me some money to buy a few clothes, and
the boys took me to their favorite Western store. Damned if'n the owner
wasn't the man who made Gip and my rodeo chaps Uncle Enid gave us. He
called her, she bought all my clothes and a new pair of boots. She told
him to give the Crenshaw boys any pair of her boots they wanted and had
me pick a pair for Bubba. I didn't ask her to, Uncle Buck. She just
instructed the man to do it. I talked to her a while, and she might
stop over and visit this week. She said she'd call you."
"Waddie, that's
almost unbelievable. Mr. Urial knew the place and time to get you what
you needed. I'm really gonna' have to thank Enid and Mr. Urial. That
was mighty nice of her and him."
"I'm writing her
a thank you note tonight, and I'll get it in the mail tomorrow."
"Good, Son.
That's the right thing to do. God, I love you Waddie, and I miss you.
By the way, your dad has been asking everyone, everyday, if we've
received any word from you? Do we know where you are? No one will tell
him a thing. I've put the word out, any information that gets to him
will come from me and only me. The last thing we want is him trying to
come after you. I didn't have to beg people to keep your whereabouts on
a need to know basis. Nobody wants to talk to him very much anyway. I
think he needs to feel left out right now. What he did was wrong, and
he needs to be accountable to himself for his actions.
Your Aunt Linda
Sue just walked in from the store. I'll let you say hello, call
again soon, Son. Good to hear from you. Honey, it's Waddie." Buck
handed Linda Sue the phone.
"Waddie, I just
walked in. Wish you were here, sweetheart, I'd make your favorite
tonight."
"Hi, Aunt Linda.
Gee, that's really sweet. I just finished dinner, and 'yes' I'm getting
more than enough to eat. I think I've gained weight. My rear is healing
up nicely, and I had a great weekend with my two buddies. I went home
with them and met their wonderful family. Went to church with them
yesterday. Had a good time."
"That's great,
Darlin,' we miss you so much. I always knew you meant a lot to me,
Waddie, but I never realized 'til you were gone how much I depend on
you and your love, sweetheart. We're doing okay, but we sit around at
night talking about you. I don't want to pressure you, dear, I just
want you to know how much we love you, Waddie. I couldn't love
you more if you were my own son. I mean that, sweetheart."
"Ahww, Aunt
Linda you know you've always been a mom to me. I love you, too. I'll be
home sooner than you think. Mr. Urial will send Uncle Buck for me one
of these days, and he'll come get me. In the meantime, I want you to
know I'm well, eating great, being looked after by half the Texas
Longhorn football team and having a good time. I think this is what I
need right now,— not to think about my problems at home,— at least for
a while. I told Uncle Buck about the guys I'm with, he'll tell you. I
better run right now, can I say goodbye to Uncle Buck. I love you, Aunt
Linda."
"Sure,
sweetheart, here he is,... I love you, too, angel.
"Well, Son, I
can't get over who’s taking care of you. They sound like really fine
men."
"Not only them,
Dad, half the damn team."
"Really? Wow,
that's great. Thank the Crenshaws for me and let 'em know how much we
appreciate them taking care of you. Remember, Son. I love you, and so
does your Aunt Linda."
"Love you, too,
Dad. Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Son."
* * * * *
* *
Waddie got the
time and charges from the operator and logged them. It seemed like a
good system to him. He could keep track of how much he was spending on
phone calls. Waddie dialed one more number. A man answered the phone.
"Bloomquist
plumbing."
"How's my coach
this evening?"
"Oh, God, Son,—
Oh, Waddie,— " Waddie could hear the big man crying softly on the
phone. "I'm sorry, Son, I've wanted to talk to you so bad,— to hear
your voice,— well,— you know."
"I certainly do,
Coach. I feel the same way. I knew you'd be worried. I love you too
much not to call to let you know I'm all right. I miss you, though.
Aside from coaching me, I miss my buddy, my big brother."
"Oh, baby, I
miss you so much. It damn near ripped my heart out when I heard you'd
run away 'cause your dad hurt you. I went over there and told him the
truth, Son. I didn't care no more. He needed to hear the truth."
"I appreciate
that, Coach. You're a good buddy."
"Are you being
taken care of? Are you on the streets? Can I come to you? Can I do
anything to help? Can I send you money,— anything, Waddie,— name it."
"No, no, Ed. I'm
all right. My guardians are the Crenshaw brothers and half the Texas U.
football team."
"You're joking
with me, Waddie? I know you don't lie but you're setting me up ain't
cha'?"
"Honest to Pete.
I went home with 'em this weekend and met their family. Six brothers
and a dad I fell in love with. A bigger version of Dad Dan. I can tell
you, I know you won't say anything, I think Uncle Buck can guess where
I am, but I know he won't come after me until it's time. I'm in a room
and board house just off the U. T. campus. I have my own room and
seven enormous brothers. Never felt safer in my life, Coach."
"Do you need
anything?"
"Only you,
Coach, I miss you a lot."
"Don't say that,
baby, you know what that does to me. Do you want me to come to you,
Son? Do you need me?"
"Only if you
want to, Coach. Come stay a couple of nights with me, Mrs. York won't
mind, you're my Uncle Ed. But, it's such a long drive, and you don't
need to lose money taking off work. We'll be together soon. I don't
imagine I'll be here more'n three more weeks. We can wait that long. I
ain't gonna be here on the weekends anyway. I'm going home every
weekend with Earl D. and Billy Bob Crenshaw. I think the world of their
family. Hang in there, Coach! I wanted to call so's you wouldn't think
I didn't love you no more. You know I do."
"Oh shit,
Waddie. You know how much I love you, sweet baby. All right, we'll
wait. If you need me I'll come in a minute,— poor choice of words but
you know what I mean." They both laughed.
"That's what I
love best about you, Coach,— your coming in a minute. I don't have to
work too hard or wait too long for my prize. It's sort a' like I get
dessert before the main meal." Waddie really laughed and Ed did, too.
"Damn! I haven't
laughed like that since you been gone, hon. Got something hilarious to
tell you when you get back about me'n old Buck; you'll howl."
"Okay, Coach. I
better go, an eight hundred pound gorilla wants to use the phone, and
you don't wanna’ argue with no eight hundred pound gorilla. He also
happens to be a very good looking gorilla. I wouldn't mind if'n he
pealed my banana. Love you, Coach."
"Love you, too,
sweet baby, and call again soon."
"I promise,—
goodnight, Coach."
"Goodnight,
cowboy.'"
* * * * * * *
Waddie went into
his room to read while the guys studied some more. It began to get
late, and most of the upstairs men had showered. There came a quiet
knock on Waddie's door. He told them to come in. The door opened, and
it was Earl D. and Billy Bob in the buff.
"Ready to
shower, little brother? We waited 'til the rush was over so's we could
take our time. Need us to help you undress?"
"Naw, I think I
can do it, but thanks for asking." Waddie took his boots off, shucked
his jeans and shirt off, and he was ready. He followed the two big men
to the shower. They cleaned him good and took their time drying him.
Then they bathed and dried themselves. They took him back to his room,
and he lay across the bed.
"Is it still
real bad, Waddie?" Earl D. ask with concern.
"No, Sir, it
hardly hurts at all, now. I must have just over done the other day.
Does it look like it's healing?" Earl D. was all ready putting
ointment on Waddie's butt.
"It's not so
inflamed, and it looks to me like the scabs are getting smaller. What
do you think, brother?" Earl D. asked Billy Bob.
"I think it
looks a lot better, Waddie." said Billy Bob.
"I really
appreciate you guys being so good to me. It means a lot. You make me
feel like I'm your little brother all the time. I think you guys caring
for me and Bubba's love has done more to heal me than anything."
"Well, you're
good to us, too. You knew we had to study, and we didn't have to ask
you to let us be for a while. You occupied yourself, and that's giving
if you think about it. We got in some solid studying." said Earl D. "As
far as making you feel like our little brother, we have a dad back home
who decreed you are his son, and we are your brothers. He did the same
thing with Billy Bob and I when I came to live with them. From that day
on, I was his son, and I had six brothers. I couldn't have been happier
unless it was the day they gave me the honor of taking their name for
mine."
The men finished
and tucked Waddie into bed.
"Are you gonna'
be all right in here by yourself, little brother? It’s been a while
since you've slept alone. We could leave the doors open. We're right
across the hall." Earl D. asked him.
"No,— I'll be
fine, guys, thanks for being my brothers."
"We took a
vote. D. and I decided we love you pretty damn much,
Waddie." said Billy Bob.
"Love you, too."
Earl D. and
Billy Bob left and went to their room. Waddie lay there in the dark for
a while. It really wasn't dark. There were lights from the campus,
street lights and ambient lights from people's homes. He could see
everything in the room. He lay there and began to think of lying
in Buck's big arms and how much he missed him; how he was growing more
and more to depend on his little brother for support.
Mr. Urial was
right, Gip was getting stronger; sometimes, stronger than he was, but
that was good. It made Waddie feel good knowing he could lean on his
little brother if he needed to. Then he thought of another person which
opened the pit of loneliness in his gut.
He thought of
his beloved Dad Dan and the unconditional love he showered on Waddie
since the first day he met him. He never gave Waddie a moments doubt.
He always had time for him. No problem was too small or too large for
Dad Dan to stop what he was doing to listen to his boy. He'd lay in the
loft holding his boy after one of Morgan's beatings. He'd hold Waddie
for hours, not letting go. He tried his damnedest to be strong for his
boy, but he couldn't help let out his frustration, his sympathy, his
pain for his son who lay hurting in his arms. He would weep silently
for hours holding Waddie until he had no more tears. Then he'd pass
into an uneasy sleep and hold Waddie tighter than he ever had. Waddie
never complained. It was exactly what he needed. To have this
wonderful man hold him so tightly made Waddie feel like Dan would never
let him go.
"I'm coming home
to you, Dad, I promise. Of all the people in my world, it's your
strength and love I can't live without." he said softly to no one.
He understood at
that moment he wasn't betraying his love for Buck or Gip by loving Dan.
He loved his dad not just because he was his flesh and blood but
because he bonded so tightly with Buck that year they were so close.
Buck was more than just Waddie's dad; Buck was his all. He was right
about Buck and Bubba having the same kind of love. It was all
encompassing, unquestioning, unconditional, and flowed as rightly as
the rain falling from heaven. Waddie's love for Gip was as solid
as the words Mr. Urial told them, God, himself, declared them brothers.
Waddie realized
he and Dan formed an equally solid bond that would see him though his
darkest times. Waddie broke down and started crying softly. He covered
his head with his pillow so no one could hear him. He was embarrassed,
but he wasn't crying because of fear. He was angry; angry at himself
for being such a baby; such a weakling. 'Cowboys don't cry,' he
admonished himself. He realized it was too soon; he wasn't ready to be
left alone. He still needed a physical presence; someone to reach out
and touch in the night to validate his belonging in this world; to let
him know he was not abandoned. He had someone close to him ever since
Morgan's last beating and had no idea being left alone would hit him
this hard.
Dear God, Mr.
Urial, he didn't want to feel this way. Give him strength to forgive
and let go. He remembered the long nights he cried himself to sleep
after Buck and Linda Sue came back from their honeymoon. He didn't want
to be lonely for Buck's sake but he was only a six year old kid. Right
at that very minute he didn't feel a day over six years old. He talked
to himself, but he couldn't stop weeping. He kept the pillow over his
head. He heard a light scratching sound outside his door.
He stopped
crying and raised up in bed to listen. There it was again. It sounded
like a small animal was trying to get in. Then he heard it again, but
this time he heard a high pitched whimper like a puppy would make. Did
a puppy get into the house by mistake and find its way to his door? Did
the boys get him a puppy? Now there were two distinct scratches and
another sort of whining, whimpering sound.
Waddie got up
and walked to the door and quietly opened it. There, in front of him,
on hands and knees, buck ass naked, were Earl D. and Billy Bob looking
up at him with, big wide eyes, their heads slightly tilted, and their
tongues hanging out like they were panting.
"We're lonely,
little brother, would you mind if we came in and got in bed with you
for a while. It 'ud really mean a lot to us if'n you would." Waddie's
knees buckled, he sat down hard on the floor and it hurt his
butt. He lost it at their compassion and understanding. That's why Mr.
Urial sent him to them. Billy Bob pulled Waddie into his arms to hold
him. Earl D. comforted him.
"It's all right,
little brother, you just ain't ready to fly solo, yet. You been through
a lot and don't need to be left alone right now. We apologize. We
didn't think. We're sorry. C'mon, let's go to bed."
Billy Bob picked
Waddie up an laid him on the bed toward the middle. They lay down on
either side of him. Earl D. took him in his arms and held him as Waddie
let the rest out.
"I'm sorry. I
didn't want you to hear me crying."
"We didn't. We
talked and Billy Bob made me realize after my parents died in the fire,
I couldn't sleep alone for almost five years. I couldn't be left alone
anywhere. I would be horrified to find myself alone. It was the
scariest thing in the world to me. At night I couldn't be left alone. I
don't mean just being in the same room, I had to have someone laying
next to me. You want to know something else? I still don't like to be
left alone, especially at night.
You went through
something pretty damn traumatic, Waddie. In a sense you lost the dad
you tried to love and desperately wanted to love you. To finally admit
to yourself he's dead to you as a dad is a painful thing. Anyway you
look at it, it’s a great loss for you. Losing someone important
to you in your life ain’t easy; no matter how you lose them; however,
that's a door that has to be closed in your life for now. It's just too
dangerous not to. Perhaps, in time, it can be reopened, but meanwhile,
where does that leave you? Same's me and my little sister, out in a
world we had no concept of,— alone. We had no one. Neither did you,
after your dad got through.
Me,— of all
people,— should have realized. We suppress memories that are painful to
us, and I blocked that memory. Fortunately, for us, we have a loving
brother who gently reminded me of that time. I love him all the more
for reminding me because he was right. I was just like you. Frightened,
alone, embarrassed, angry with myself for not being stronger, not only
for myself but for my little sister as well. Our brother reminded me of
some words a wise and wonderful man, our dad, said to me as he
was holding me tightly in his arms and comforting me.
'Don't feel
embarrassed or angry with yourself to lean on your brother, Son. That's
what he's for. That's why your dad is holding you, right now, and won't
let you go. That's what your family is for; they'll never let you go.
You belong to us, now. We belong to you. We not only love you, Son, we
need you. We can no longer live without you. We need you to balance our
lives. Lean on your brother, he understands. Someday, he may need you
to lean on, and you'll be there for him.'" Earl D. said quietly as if
the words were a prayer.
"I did lean on
my brother. He became my rock as well as our dad. He's never gotten
angry with me for clinging to him. He's never made fun of me for
needing him so much. He's never stopped loving me. He will never let me
go even if we, one day, go our separate ways. He'll always belong to
me, and I'll always belong to him. That's why we're here, little
brother, you need to lean on your big brothers, and we promise, we
won't let go again. Our dad has proclaimed you our brother, we can no
longer live without you. You've brought a balance to our lives."
Waddie cried
again in Earl D.'s arms, but they weren't tears of loneliness,
emptiness, anger or embarrassment, they were tears of joy, relief,
love, kindness, and understanding he felt coming from these two
beautiful men. He drank them in like a weary sponge until he could
drink no more, then drifted off into a deep, peaceful sleep.
* * * * * * * The next morning
Waddie was awakened early by his brothers shamelessly, blatantly,
unapologetically stealing kiss after kiss from him.
"C'mon, little
brother, we need to get you and us into the shower. We need to get you
medicated, have breakfast and we have to be off to class. We'll be gone
all morning, but we'll be back for lunch. If you want to leave,
please tell Mrs. York where you're going." Billy Bob said to him.
They were
through in no time and downstairs eating breakfast. All of them said
goodbye and left for their classes. Waddie helped Mrs. York clear the
table and asked if she minded if he helped her with clean up.
Mrs. York enjoyed Waddie's company and was glad to have his help.
He worked his ass off for her, and they were though in record time. She
immediately began preparing lunch for the hungry herd. Once again
Waddie accepted, pealing, cutting, chopping, and dicing duties and they
were finished almost a half hour ahead of schedule.
Mrs. York was
wondering when Waddie was going to get tired of helping her. He seemed
to enjoy her company as well. He was quick, thorough, systematic, and
cleaned as he went. He never left a dirty place where he was working.
She hadn't taught him any of these things. By the time she rang the
lunch bell he had all the heavy pots and pans cleaned, dried, and put
away. Mrs. York was impressed.
The Crenshaw
boys were really proud of their little brother for helping Mrs. York.
They told the rest of the household how good Waddie was with a rope.
The big boys were impressed. They were all farm or ranch boys and knew
what they were talking about. Billy Bob told Mrs. York about their dad
falling in love with Waddie.
Waddie helped
Mrs. York clean up from lunch and was going to help her with dinner.
She told him, no way! He needed to do something for himself. There was
a small theater across the campus. She wanted him to walk over there
and see the movie. It was a Disney film, and she thought he might enjoy
it. She gave him directions how to get there. Just be back before six.
Waddie went
upstairs and put on some nicer clothes. He went to see the film. It was
'Cinderella.' Waddie liked the mice. He enjoyed himself and stopped in
the drug store again and had a soda. He walked back to the boarding
house. Everyone was back from classes; however, it was quiet around the
place. They were all studying. He waved to Billy Bob and Earl D. They
smiled, waved back, and went back to their studies. They broke about an
hour before dinner and came into his room to ask about his day. The
boys spent as much time with him as they could. He got to know all the
other team members as well. He liked them all. The upstairs phone
rang, and it was for the Crenshaw boys. It was their dad. He didn't ask
about them, he ask about Waddie. They thought that was funny and put
Waddie on the phone.
"Hey, Dad, how
is everyone?"
"We're all just
fine, Son. How are you?"
"Better, Dad. My
brothers are taking good care of me."
"Good, Son. Glad
to hear them boys is good for something." he joked, "You come'n with
'em if they come home this weekend, Son?"
"I'd love to,
Dad. If'n they can get away, I promise, I'll be there with 'em. I
really had a good time last weekend. Thanks, Dad."
"We enjoyed
having you down, Son. I'll talk to you again soon. Let me say goodbye
to Earl D., Son."
"Love you, Dad."
"Love you, too,
Son."
Waddie handed
the phone to Earl D. and he finished the conversation with his dad. He
hung up.
"We've only been
gone two days and he's calling wanting to know if we're coming for the
weekend. When was the last time he ever called us, D.?" Billy Bob asked
his brother laughing.
"To be honest, I
can't remember." said Earl D. They all laughed. They knew their dad
wanted to rope again with Waddie.
* * * * * * *
It was eleven
twenty-five A. M. the accurate clock in Bubba's truck registered.
'Doing pretty
damn good.' thought Bubba to himself, 'I'm here almost exactly the time
I said I'd be.' He pulled the huge truck to the curb across the street
in front of the sheriff's station. He set the air brakes and laughed to
himself. Four handsome looking lawmen came pouring out of the station
headed for his truck. The biggest one looked like a big Waddie. Bubba's
heart clutched. He was looking at his little buddy in twenty-five
years, no doubt.
Bubba couldn't
decide which was the best looking, but there was one who was drop dead,
good looking. That had to be Waddie's big brother, Quinton. Waddie
wasn't lying about him being gorgeous. Damn! The men got to the truck
just about the time Bubba opened the door and climbed down. Before he
knew what was happening he was in Buck's arms being hugged and kissed
on the cheek. There were tears in his eyes. Buck turned to his deputies.
"If this man
ain't Bubba, I'm in deep shit!" All of them broke up laughing. Bubba
roared and stuck out his hand.
"Sheriff
Claymore,— Buck,— I've heard a Hell of a lot about you and your men.
Buck shook his hand and Bubba offered his hand to Quinton.
"This has to be
Deputy Tate, Waddie's big brother. I'm Bubba Franz, Deputy Tate."
Quinton smiled real big and shook Bubba's hand.
"Oh, Hell,
Bubba,— just call me Quinton."
"Thanks,
Quinton." Bubba replied. Buck took over from there.
"Bubba this is
my Chief Deputy, Lyle Rawlings." Bubba shook Lyle's hand.
"It's a pleasure
to meet you, Mr. Rawlings."
"Lyle, Bubba,—
please, Son."
"Thanks, Sir."
"And this fine
looking gentleman is Deputy Don Rayborn." The men shook hands.
"Great to meet
you, Deputy Rayborn."
"I'm Don, Bubba.
No need for last names here."
"Thanks, Sir,
that makes me feel welcome."
"Oh, Hell, you
are welcome, Son. More'n you know. Come on in,— there's a pretty,
little lady inside piss'n her pants to meet Waddie's hero." Buck had
his arm around Bubba's shoulder and Bubba laughed with him. They went
inside, and Carol Anderson stood up.
"Mrs. Anderson,
this is our friend we told you about, Mr. Bubba Franz." Bubba took his
hat off and nodded toward Carol Anderson. She came from behind her
desk, threw her arms around Bubba's neck and planted a big one on his
cheek.
"Thanks, Bubba.
Call me Carol." Bubba was turning beet red.
"Pleasure to
meet you, Ma'am, but I didn't do nothing special. It just turned out to
be a very special, little person I did it for." Carol Anderson smiled
and patted his big arm.
Buck introduced
Bubba to the other deputies as an old friend of his. He'll be leaving
his truck across the street, probably all night. Watch it! Don't let
nobody near it!
"C 'mon into my
office, Bubba." Bubba followed Buck into his office. The other deputies
stayed behind, and Buck closed the door. Buck reached for his hip flask
and held it out to Bubba.
"Little pull of
Southern Comfort, Bubba?"
"Just a taste,
Buck. Thanks." Bubba took the top off and took a small swig. He
grimaced. He wasn't a drinker. Buck laughed, patted him on the back,
and took a pull himself.
"Sit down,
Bubba! Sit down. Got a call from our boy last night and Earl D. wanted
to talk with me. What a nice young man. I know Waddie don't lie, but
when he told me he went home with the Crenshaw boys so matter of
factly, I almost shit my pants. Lyle, Don, Quinton, and Dan Justin
still can't believe it. That big hug and kiss was from your little
running buddy, Bubba. He made me promise I'd give you that. He don't
have to know his uncle enjoyed it." Bubba didn't know
whether to laugh or cry but a tear rolled down his cheek.
"Damn, Son,"
Buck said, "you're as bad as the rest of us when it comes to that kid."
"Buck,— ain't
never fell in love with anyone faster'n I did with Waddie. The kid
ripped my heart out, and don't have no plans to give it back. Can't
say's I want it back. I can't think of nothing else but him and
my brothers, Earl D. and Billy Bob."
"You're close to
'em?"
"Lived on the
ranch next door to theirs. Grew up with 'em. Coached 'em all through
highschool. Made damn sure they got scholarships to the school they
wanted. They done all right for themselves so far."
"I'll say. Damn
Bubba, you're an amazing man. Are you on a tight schedule? Can you stay
the night? We were gonna' take you to the diner for lunch and drive out
to my brother's, Dan Justin's ranch for the afternoon and dinner.
Waddie's brothers are out there and Dan and Jimmy Sue are killing the
fatted calf." Buck roared with laughter. He was infectious and
Bubba had to laugh. Damn, he was like a grown up Waddie. He couldn't
help but feel close and love the man.
"I'm way ahead
of schedule, Buck. I wanted to meet the people in Waddie's world he
loves so much. And let me tell ya,' that kid loves ya'll like you
wouldn't believe."
"We know, Bubba
and we feel the same. We wanted to step in and do something before now
but he wouldn't let us, and according to Mr. Urial he had to go through
these things. You're the only person other than Ed Bloomquist, Waddie's
coach,..." Buck just howled with laughter, at the expression on Bubba's
face. He knew Waddie told Bubba about his coach. "Yeah, I know about Ed
and him. Ed loves him and he loves Ed. Ed'll be there, too. He just had
to meet you and thank you for your kindness to his little buddy.
Anyway, Ed and you are the only people he's ever let see his ass other
than his brothers. They played doctor and nurse to him. He wouldn't
even let our doctor, Doc Dyer, take a look at him. He'd swear his
brothers to secrecy. We could've tied them boys to a rack, and they'd
never tell us how bad his ass was. We'd question them, but if we pushed
too hard, all we'd get was tears. We had no idea how bad it really was
until Doc developed your film in his darkroom. When we saw those
pictures come up in the solution,— I don't remember who grabbed who,
but we just stood there and bawled. We couldn't believe it."
"Will the photos
help get him away from his dad?'
"Oh, Bubba,—
it's all ready done, thanks to you! I served notice to my brother
yesterday. He's not doing too well 'cause no one will tell him a'
thing. I have a gag order out to the community. He finds out nothing
unless it's through me. He has no idea we've heard a word from Waddie.
His place is right next to the Justin's ranch, but he doesn't have a
clue who you are or what we're doing. He talks to me everyday to see if
we've heard anything. I just tell him we have some leads, and we're
looking into them. That ain't lying to my brother.
Morgan Lovejoy
and I were raised together, Bubba. We were inseparable. I can't
remember a handful of times we spent a night apart from each other. We
lived together in either home all through school. We were brothers. I
loved him more'n anybody in my life, and I still do, Bubba. No matter
what he's done, I can't stop loving my brother. I can try'n help him
find the way, but I can't stop loving him."
"You're like me
and the Crenshaw boys. We grew up together, and then, I became so close
to them because of being one of their coaches. They're my brothers,
Buck."
"Come'mon, Bubba
we can talk over lunch. C.D.,— the boys gave Lyle that handle out of
respect for his position as Chief Deputy;— anyway, C.D., Don, and
Quinton went over to the diner to get us a table. Let's take my patrol
car and we'll take you to lunch."
"Ahw, Buck, you
guys don't have to do that."
"Hesh up, Bubba.
Ain't wise to tell the sheriff he can't take his buddy to lunch." Buck
just roared with laughter as he led Bubba to the door. The two men
walked out laughing. Carol Anderson spoke to Bubba.
"Nice to meet
you, Mr. Franz. I'll look forward to seeing you this evening." Bubba
looked puzzled. Buck interrupted.
"You and Jannie
got a ride out there, Mrs. Anderson?"
"Yes, thanks,
Sheriff, C.D. and his wife are picking us up."
"Okay, then,
we'll see you there. Keep them boys busy for the rest of the
afternoon." he joked with Carol.
"I guess I'll be
seeing you this evening, then, Ma'am. I'll be looking forward to it."
Bubba sort of bowed toward Carol as she smiled sweetly at him.
The men left and
got into Buck's patrol car. Buck turned to Bubba.
"Was it me or
did I just witness something,— ?" Bubba looked at Buck kinda puzzled,
smiled, and then blushed deep red.
"Oh, Hell,—
s'probably my imagination." Bucked tossed off.
They got to the
diner and the men pulled a couple of tables together. The waitress came
around and took their orders. There was a lot of small talk, but Bubba
was interested in these men and how they interrelated. He hadn't been
around them for more than an hour, and he felt like one of them.
"Well, Lyle, the
person I'm really looking forward to meeting is your son, Oatie." They
all laughed, looked at each other shaking their heads.
"Just clear your
mind before you meet Oatie, Bubba. Expect anything!" Lyle laughed,
"None of us sitting at this table can predict from moment to moment
what that kid's gonna' do or say. That's what makes him a treasure. I
couldn't have had a better kid if'n he were my own. I love that young
man with a passion. I beat out ten other men in this community who
wanted Oatie to be their son. I've never regretted for a minute asking
Oatie to become my boy. I'm proud he carries my name."
"Good thing,
too!" allowed Buck, "C.D. would've lost his ass at poker. Oatie and him
are a team at our monthly, naked poker parties. We've lost a lot of
money to Oatie and him." Laughed Buck.
"Waddie told me
about the naked poker parties, and I laughed my ass off. Sounds like
fun. He even told me how good the two of you were at poker, Lyle."
Bubba turned his attention to Don Rayborn,
"Waddie's
awfully fond of your boy, too, Don. He can't say enough good things
about his brother, Clyde. He started telling me the story about Ms.
Pearl while I was driving, and I had to pull the truck into a rest area
and make him stop. I was laughing so hard I was afraid I was gonna'
wreck the damn thing. Later that evening I talked him into telling it
again in front of about thirty-five or forty truckers and various
folks. I've never seen a group of men laugh harder in my life. The
owner of the diner bought and paid for Waddie's and my steak dinners
complete with dessert. We were stuffed. I'd only known Waddie for about
forty-eight hours, he didn't have a cent on him, and the second night
he was buying my dinner. Now that's a running buddy!" The men all
laughed with Bubba.
"Everyman at
this table witnessed what them boys could do with that damn skunk,
Bubba." Don Rayborn spoke up, "It was incredible. We laughed our ass's
off when they brought her out for the first time. They introduced her
as their new 'girlfriend.' We didn't know whether to shit or run. You
never know what to expect from them damn kids. You ever been to the
circus and seen all them clowns get out of that tiny little car. They
set everything on fire and put it out with seltzer water. That's just
about like them. When you see they've got their heads together and
talking ninety to nothing, us grown ups do what Lyle suggested. We drop
to our knees and start saying sentence prayers 'cause we know something
God awful is gonna' happen. It usually turns out God awful funny as
well. It's been almost a year, and you can still smell Ms. Pearl's
perfume when you get near that house." the men were really laughing and
Bubba was having a ball.
They went on to
talk about many things. The men were wowed Bubba coached the Crenshaw
boys. They all thought Buck was pulling their leg when he told them
Waddie was in the care of the Earl D. and Billy Bob Crenshaw.
"Yeah, they're
two of eight boys in the Crenshaw home. Well, two of nine now. Last I
heard, their dad Randy Crenshaw announced to them Waddie was their new
brother. He's fallen in love with him." Bubba told the men. They wanted
to know if Earl D. and Billy Bob were twins. "No, they're the same age,
born within a week of each other but Earl D. was adopted." Bubba went
on to explain about the fire, Brenda Lou calling him Bubba for the
first time. Bubba hearing a voice and rushing Earl D. to the river and
the miracle that happened. The men were almost in tears. They had no
idea the closeness Bubba must have to the two men.
"And your sister
is Earl D.'s natural sister?" Quinton asked.
"Yes, Sir. I
know it sounds crazy, but that little girl just moved in with my ma and
pa. I was her Bubba. She was so shattered and confused God took her
parents, she insisted she prayed and an angel sent me to her, her
Bubba, in exchange. She wouldn't let me out of her sight for almost
three years. She slept in the same room with me, but I'd wake up and
there she'd be in bed with me. I couldn't push her away. She had to
have that closeness for fear I'd be taken away from her. I'd moved in
on Gus and Dora a couple of years before. They didn't have no kids but
I was older and helped Gus a lot so they asked me to stay. They
certainly weren't ready for a four year old toddler. I'd run away
from home for the same reason Waddie did, 'cept'n my old man used an
eighteen foot, black snake, bull whip on my ass. He'd rather beat my
ass than sleep with my ma. I shouldn't talk bad about my dad, I'm
sorry."
"Hey, Bubba.
We've lived it, and we know what you went through. I'll tell you one
damn thing," The good Lord couldn't of picked a better man to take care
of our boy. We're so grateful." said Buck and confirmed by the other
men.
"We're gonna'
drive on out to the Justin ranch. When you guys coming out? We got
plenty of men at the station, and Lyle, if you want to pick up Carol
early, that's fine. Tell her she can take the rest of the afternoon
off. We'll spend the afternoon out there, and Bubba can get a good dose
of our family. Don, you and Quinton gonna' follow us on out? You're
through for the day. You, too, C.D. We're slow now. We need a break,
and I need to help Dan with some stuff for dinner tonight. Any
questions? No? Then we'll see ya'll out there."
Buck and Bubba
left the diner and headed out the farm road to the Justin's. Don and
Quinton were following not far behind. The boys spent the night in the
loft at the ranch so they were all ready there. The women folk were
there since morning, helping Jimmy Sue prepare food. The men arrived
and drove around in back. Over toward the far barn there were three
small figures who were a blur of running feet and waving arms. Buck
leaned over to Bubba and spoke quietly.
"Brace yourself,
brother!" Bubba laughed. They no sooner got out of the car than the
boys were upon them. Oatie was yelling,
"Bubba! Bubba!
Bubba!" he was first to Bubba, and Bubba picked him up. Oatie had his
arms around his neck and wouldn't let go. He kissed Bubba on the cheek
three or four times thanking him for being good to his brother. Clyde
was next. Oatie introduced his brother, Clyde Rayborn. Clyde wouldn't
settle for a handshake either. He wanted the full package and got it.
Bubba could see another handsome kid out the corner of his eye hugging
Buck. That had to be Gip, and Waddie wasn't exaggerating, he was one
handsome, young cowboy. Waddie had damn good taste in brothers.
Bubba squatted
down and opened his arms to Gip. Gip looked deeply into Bubba's eyes,
and Bubba could see the tears forming. Gip threw his arms around the
big man and cried his heart out. He thanked Bubba for being so good to
his brother. Bubba could see another man walking slowly toward them,
and he knew it had to be Dan Justin. Waddie was right again. He was
almost a smaller version of Randy Crenshaw. They could've passed for
brothers. They even had the same slow, rolling gate to their walk.
"My brother was
right, Bubba." Gip told Bubba.
"How's that,
Son?"
"He said I'd
love you,— and I do."
"Well, I know
how much he loves you. I can't help love you from all the good things
he's told me about you. It's so nice to finally meet the three of you."
Bubba stood up
and Dan Justin was standing there smiling. Gip took Bubba's hand.
"Dad, I'd like
you to meet Mr. Bubba Franz our new buddy. Bubba, I'd like you to
meet our dad, Mr. Dan Justin."
Bubba stuck out
his hand and Dan just looked at it.
"Fuck the
handshake, Bubba, gimme' a hug and a kiss." Bubba laughed then shook
his head.
"You got it, Mr.
Justin." He hugged and kissed Dan back.
"It's Dan,
Bubba. Anyone's good to my boy as you were don't call me by my last
name."
"Thank you, Sir,
it's an honor. Thank you for having me out today. You have a beautiful
place. You've put a lot of work into it."
"Let's introduce
you to the ladies and we'll take you on a tour."
"Does Waddie
need us to send him money, Bubba,— I mean, send it with you?" Buck
asked him.
"His room and
board is paid for, and he has five hundred dollars in his pocket from
two collections the truckers took up for him. Far's I know, he's still
got every penny of it. I shouldn't think he'd need any right now. He
didn't spend a penny for clothes including these boots, Dan." Bubba
raised his pants leg to show Dan and Buck his new boots, "Your cousin
Enid, told him to pick a pair out for me and take 'em to me. He picked
the exact pair I almost bought a month ago. She paid for everything.
She gave the Crenshaw boys each a pair of boots. I used to know her
years ago."
"Yeah, she used
to drive a truck with an old lady called Mother Trucker,— she went by
the name Moon shine."
"I never knew
her real name. I almost flipped out when Waddie told me. I've tossed
back a few with her. She's quite a gal, Dan."
"It took the
love of my boys, here, Waddie, and Buck, too,— to make me appreciate
her for who she is. She's family, we include her in everything. When
Oatie was formally adopted by Lyle and Mavis she drove all the way to
spend the weekend with us. She had a ball, and Buck and her are really
tight. She loves the sheriff and her boys, she calls 'em."
The more Bubba
talked to Dan Justin the more he fell in love with the man. He all
ready was in love with Buck. Buck overwhelmed him with his genuine love
and affection. Like father like son, Bubba laughed to himself. Waddie
had the same quality. If he wanted you to love him, ain't no way in
Hell you'd keep from loving him.
Dan Justin was a
man among men and Bubba could sense it. He was almost jealous of Gip,
Waddie, Oatie and Clyde calling this man dad. He almost wished he
could. He'd love to show this man the respect of calling him dad. He
had to talk to Buck, too. It made Bubba's dick hard just to call him
'Sheriff.' He could see immediately why Waddie had such adoration for
Dan and Buck.
'I'd wanna' come
back and live with that man for a while, too.' thought Bubba. Waddie
knows he's gonna' have Buck the rest of his life but even to have a
small period of time living under the same roof and calling Dan Justin
'dad,'— well, it was like he learned from his little buddy, I shouldn't
be a' thinking of doing such dirty things to a man I'd like to call my
dad.
Ah, but then he
remembered how sweet it was between him and Gus. It was an unspoken
bond of love and trust that bound Gus and Bubba into the dad/son
relationship they both cherished. He had to get home soon, his mouth
started watering thinking about the wonderful taste of his old man's
dick.
It was a
wonderful day for all. There was a holiday feel about the whole day.
The boys missed their brother, but they had the next best thing. They
had a huge, giant, kid-friendly bear, who saved their brother's life,
and they couldn't get enough of him. They climbed all over the big man.
At any given time he had one in his lap and one in each arm.
Then there were
the two little girls, Jannie Anderson and Mavis Lyle Rawlings. They
didn't know what to think of this big furry, monster of a man, but they
saw the boys crawling all over him like a jungle gym and having such a
great time, they thought they might give him a chance. Were they
surprised. He spoke kid! He didn't talk down to them and he didn't give
less to them than he did the boys. He respected them and listened to
them. He told them about his baby sister whom he loved so much. They
were hooked.
Any adult who
sat down to talk with Bubba had to talk in between his relating to the
kids. He wasn't about to dismiss them just to talk to an adult. He was
having too much fun. A couple of the ladies sat down to talk to him, Ma
Claymore and Carol Anderson. Jannie was all over Bubba and so was Mavis
Lyle. He seemed to have a natural rapport with them. They'd whisper
secrets to him, and he'd promise not to tell, then laugh with them.
Pretty soon every woman at the ranch was sitting around a picnic table
talking with Bubba. The guys were amused that the big man had such
natural charm, love and grace in him they all were captivated by him.
Bubba especially enjoyed talking with Carol Anderson. Bubba found her
charming, intelligent and concerned. Carol Anderson found Bubba a bit
more than just okay. The big man stirred something within her no man
had since her husband.
Dan and Buck had
indeed killed the fatted calf; except, it wasn't a calf,— it was a
complete cow they butchered that spring. They gave a lot away but still
had a lot of beef left in a rented space in a frozen food locker in
town. They each had their own deep freezes as well. They picked out the
most prime steaks and made sure there was enough for everyone. There
was a number of folks there. The usual compliment of family with the
Dyers, Claymores, Davenports, the Tates and even the elder Lovejoys. Ma
and Pa Lovejoy consider Buck and his family more their family than
Morgan’s.
After Waddie ran
away they made it clear to Morgan they loved him, but they didn't want
him or his wife coming around. His dad actually told him, he and his
mother were ashamed of him. They loved him and will always love him,
but they were ashamed. If one day, he found himself alone they would
reconsider, but until that time they didn't want him coming around.
They pleaded and
tried to reason with Morgan to no avail. They were vindicated when
Morgan finally found out the truth, but by that time, they were too
much involved with Buck's family they didn't care whether Morgan came
around or not. They could see their grandson any time they wanted. They
saw Waddie regularly; Birthdays, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, and
anything Buck's family did during the year, they were always invited.
Buck and Linda Sue would have them over for dinner every other week or
so and have the boys there, too.
Waddie would
sometimes announce to his dad he was going to spend the weekend with Ma
and Pa Lovejoy. If he wanted him, he'd be over there. They were devoted
to Waddie, Gip and his brothers. They love them as well. They'd have
all four over many times to stay the weekend and sleep in their barn.
They never were so happy as when the kids were spending the weekend
with them. They weren't about to jeopardize their standing with Buck's
family and betray his confidence. They were too happy to be included,
and Buck never stopped being loving with them just because Morgan was
being an unreasonable asshole.
They still loved
their son but he cut them out for ten years when Buck opened his arms
wide to them. They knew everything the family knew. Buck never held a
thing back from them. In fact Waddie called them twice while he was
away to tell them he loved them and missed them. They were thrilled and
called Buck immediately; however, they never said a word to Morgan
about hearing from Waddie. Buck knew they would never tell Morgan
a thing; especially, after the way he treated them by going along with
Judy's hatred of them. They were too grateful to Buck and the
Claymore's for including them in everything the family did. It wasn't
their fault. They were, after all, Waddie's grandparents and Buck never
allowed them to stop being Waddie's grandparents.
Buck and Dan
started up the grill in the late afternoon, and the boys talked Bubba
into visiting their animal infirmary. The girls wanted to go, too.
Bubba asked Carol Anderson if Jannie might accompany him and the boys.
He asked Mavis Rawlings if Mavis Lyle might go, too. Of course they
said 'yes.' Bubba took each by the hand, and the boys led them to the
old barn. Bubba was impressed by the boys inventiveness and ingenuity
in the way they went about caring for their wild animals.
The owls had
come back to nest again in the barn. Bubba was thrilled by them and the
boys story of teaching them to hunt for themselves. He told them he
only wished he could've met Ms. Pearl.
"We saw her,
Bubba."said Mavis Lyle. "Me and Jannie were here that day. We weren't
concerned, but our parents nearly went crazy. Waddie, Gip, Oatie and
Clyde have always looked after us and protected us. We knew they
wouldn't bring something around that would hurt us. Our folks finally
settled down and began to see the humor in all of it. The boys could do
anything they wanted with her. She loved them, you could tell."
They walked back
as the sun was setting and the folks just about had dinner ready. Bubba
was glad, the smoke from the mesquite fire and steak cooking made his
stomach growl. They served their guest of honor first, but he waited
'til all were served. They all joined hands and said thanks. Bubba
never tasted better steak. It was prime beef, and you could cut it with
your fork. Dan insisted Bubba have another, and he couldn't say no.
Buck didn't want Bubba to feel alone so he had another, too.
They finished
dinner and were sitting out under the stars of the Texas sky. Bubba
looked up and found Beetle Juice and called it to Buck's attention.
"Yep. He was
just looking at it, Buck. He'll call in the next five minutes." Buck
laughed but wouldn't have bet Bubba. He felt how much the big man cared
for his little buddy, and he was proud. Jimmy Sue came running
out the back door and hollered.
"It's Waddie!
He's on the phone."
They all had to
talk to him. A couple of the guys wanted to say hello to the Crenshaw
boys and tell them what great fans they were. They said hello to Dan,
Don, Lyle, Quinton and Buck again. They had a great time talking with
them. Ed had arrived by that time and talked to them, too.
That phone bill
cost Waddie thirty dollars, but it was worth it. He got to say hello to
all his family. He got to talk to Dr. Dyer again and his wife. They
were thrilled to hear from him.
He told Buck he
was going back to the Crenshaw's ranch over the weekend and to make
sure Gip goes to visit Aunt Agatha the last weekend in June. He'd all
ready bought his ticket and will be with her that week. Then he asked
if that was all right with him. Buck almost broke down because Waddie
would think that much of him to ask at this time.
"Of course,
cowboy. You've gone to visit her for the last four summers. You and
Gip. I'll talk him into it. Surprise, right?"
"Thanks, Uncle
Buck. You're special."
He finally said
goodbye to his beloved brother last, told him about Dad Crenshaw, and
how much Gip would love him.
"Well, big
brother, you weren't wrong about Bubba. I've fallen in love with the
man. So has every man, woman and child here tonight. We're all
convinced he could walk on water if he wanted to." The boys laughed.
They said their
goodbyes and hung up. Everyone couldn't talk about anything else but
Waddie and his adventures. Bubba was so proud of him. So was Buck and
Dan. The evening wore on and Bubba had Jannie on one knee, Mavis Lyle
on the other. His arm around Oatie and his other around Clyde. They
were swapping stories, and the kids let the adults talk. They knew it
was their time of evening to talk. Unless one of them was asked to
participate.
"Oatie," said
Bubba, "your brother tells me there ain't another body on the planet
what tells a story the way you do. Is that true?"
"Not at all,
Bubba. My brother just loves me a lot and is exaggerating." All the
adults laughed like who are you kidding.
"Well, I'm sorry
to hear that. I was really count'n on hear'n one of your stories."
Oatie didn't take too much begging from the crowd. When Clyde asked
him, he decided he would.
Oatie told an
elaborate story none of the other adults had heard. All of them were
hearing it for the first time. It was another Willie payback story, and
it was funny. Of course Oatie blew it all out of proportion, but his
brothers swore every word was God's gospel truth just the way Oatie was
telling it.
He told about
all the planning and work they put into the prank; the engineering and
labor that went into it. It was grand in scale. They wanted to make
Willie think there was a 'haint' living in his room. They discovered a
hole in the wall of Waddie's closet they could run a wire all the way
down the wall and under the house. They crawled under the house, took
flash lights, and discovered there were gaps in the walls running all
the way from the attic to under the house. They could run stiff wire
all the way down. They learned they could run one all the way from the
attic to under the house.
They engineered
a rather complex mechanical operation. They found two old roller skates
someone had thrown away, clean them up, oiled them, and they worked
fine. They were the old flat metal kind you strapped and clamped to
your shoes. There was a key to tighten a clamp on the front of the
skate. It would tighten against the sole of your shoe. Then there were
two other straps that ran around the heel and one over the instep. They
were perfect for the boy's purpose. They attached them to hundred pound
test fishing line, and ran the lines down through the walls to
underneath the house.
At first it was
just going to be a one time prank, but as it went on, and they gained
more knowledge of mechanics, it grew and grew. It also got more awful
for Willie and more funny for the folks listening to his torment by the
boys. First, they put one of the skates under the floorboards in
Willie's room and tied a pretty large dead fish to it so they could
move it about. He could smell it, but never in the same place.
They'd move it all around the room.
By this time
Oatie had everyone laughing. They were laughing from the shear
inventiveness of the prank and the awfulness as well. The way Oatie
told the story was funny, too. He had a way of unfolding a story, get
to certain point, and pull the rug out from under everyone. Then he'd
have to stop until they calmed down enough for him to continue.
The boys would pull the skate one way or the other depending where they
wanted it in the room. Most times they let it stop right under Willie's
bed. They'd be under the house all this time pulling on the fishing
line to operate the skate. They did it when Willie wasn't home. Then
the next night they'd move it to another position.
Everyone was
howling with laughter by this time. Bubba was about to roll on the
ground. Buck couldn't sit down. Lyle could only look at his kid with
tears running down his face from laughter. His wife Mavis was holding
on to Lyle laughing on his arm. This was a story they'd never heard
either. Oatie continued.
The boys were
experiencing difficulty pulling the line down through the walls of the
house. It was getting hung up where it had to make a ninety degree
turn, and became practically impossible to tug, pull or get unstuck.
They'd have to manually climb into the attic when no one was home to
reset the line. One day they discovered some old drapery rods in
someone's trash that had the neatest little pulleys in them. They hack
sawed off the portion with the pulleys and trashed the rest. Now they
had a means to keep the lines from getting all caught up. They simply
nailed the pulleys where they wanted, looped the line over twice
and they never had another problem.
They found with
the smoothness of the pulley's they could transport heavier loads
across the ceiling and under Willie's floorboards. They decided to
attach a couple of feet of heavy duty chain they found, to one of the
roller skates in the ceiling, and one to the one under the floorboards.
When it was pulled across the room it made a terrible racket, but they
weren't satisfied. They decided they needed a wailing, moaning or
groaning sound.
They went
through trash cans for months until they found a couple of old dolls
that had been thrown away, but their crying box worked. One had an
ominous laughing box. They took them out of the dolls and glued them
into the bottoms of small coffee cans to amplify the sound. They
mounted them on a board. The board they mounted on a pivot so when the
roller skate hit the bottom of the board it would turn the can upside
down and you would hear either an awful crying sound or an ominous,
evil, laughing sound. Next they had to have it work automatically
because they didn't want to be around when it happened so Willie
couldn't point a finger at them.
They poured one
of the larger size coffee cans with some cement Ed gave them, and
inserted eye bolts in the cement before it dried. Now they had weights
to pull the skates. When tripped, the cans of solid cement would
automatically pull the skate with the chain across the ceiling or under
the floor board. It would make a horrible racket.
Oatie had messed
around trying to fix Lyle and Mavis's door bell chimes. He figured out
how they operated and how the selenoid worked that would slam into the
bell. He figured they only needed a small amount of support for the
heavy cans and part of that support would be one of the plungers from
the bell ringer. As long as there was no power supplied to the selenoid
it would remain solid but once they hit it with a six volt battery
charge it would retract, the heavy can would drop and start to pull the
skate across the ceiling underneath the floor.
They found two
old wind up clocks in various barns or work shops that folks gave them.
They figured a way to hook one line to one hand of the clock and the
other lead to a flat piece of copper. When the clock hit the set time
it would make contact with the six volt battery, the selenoid would
retract, the can of cement would drop, their 'haint' would once more
rattle the chains across the ceiling, and hit the board turning it up
side down so the 'haint's' voice would be heard. They set the one under
his bed to go off several hours later. The adults and little girls were
laughing so hard they had to stop Oatie again. The boys wouldn't set
them to go off every night; maybe once or twice a month. or whenever
the spirits moved them.
Everyone started
laughing again, and Bubba had tears rolling down his face he was
laughing so hard. The boys set them one night and snuck into Waddies
bedroom to hear what would happen. When the clock tripped the first one
it sounded like someone was stomping across the ceiling dragging a
chain behind them, and then the sound of the horrible crying. Oatie
told of hearing Willie's feet hit the floor, unlock his door and run
yelling and screaming down the stairs to his mother. Oatie claimed
Willie's feet only hit the stairs twice going down. He was
yelling and screaming to his ma, the 'haint' had appeared in his room
again. He saw it. It was awful and dragging a big chain. His mother
would laugh at him and call him a big baby. She'd tell him there
weren't no such things as 'haints' but Willie wasn't so sure about
that. The deputies were laughing their ass's off. Everyone wanted to
laugh but hardly had anything left.
Oatie went on.
Sometimes the boys would get tired of resetting it, they'd let it sit
for three to five months, and then, reset the damn thing and scare the
B'jesus out of Willie again. He never found anything. He never looked
as far as they knew. He was to dumb to consider his creepy little
step-bother and his friends were intelligent enough to rig something
like that. He figured you'd have to be at least as smart as he was.
Bubba hugged and
thanked Oatie for telling the story. Waddie was right, the kid was a
natural entertainer. Bubba had a great day. Buck pulled him aside and
asked when he needed to be on the road again.
"Any time before
noon tomorrow, Sheriff."
"Bubba..." Buck
said raising an eyebrow.
"Humor me,
Buck." Bubba grinned and winked at Buck. Buck got the message, grinned
and shook his head. He saw the bulge in Bubba's jeans.
"Okay, brother,
I understand. You have an invitation to stay the night in my home, the
Justins, C.D.'s, the Tates, at my Ma and Pa's in my old room. Whereever
you'll feel the most comfortable, and we'll make sure you have a good
breakfast before you leave."
"Is there room
in the loft with the boys?" Bubba smiled. Buck laughed.
"Oh, Hell, yes!
Mind if Dan and I join you?"
"I was a' hoping
you might." Bubba smiled.
Buck called Dan
and the boys over. Everyone heard a yell go up from the boys when they
found out Bubba wanted to stay the night in the loft with them. Dan was
all for it but spoke to the men.
"Now, I hope you
men realize we have three other kids who ain't gonna' let us get away
with us doing this without inviting them. The boys smiled knowing what
Dan was talking about. Buck threw back his head and roared. He slapped
Bubba on the back and smiled.
"The three other
kids are C.D., Don and Quinton and possibly Doc. Dyer. Hope you don't
mind, but they're family. They may not want to, but we have to invite
them."
"Oh, Hell, Buck,
no problem with me. Those men went out of their way to make me feel
welcome. I fully expected you to." They didn't have to ask them twice.
In fact Don, Quinton, Lyle and Doc. had thrown their sleeping bags in
the trunk of their cars and brought three extra. It was a huge loft.
Linda Sue, Mavis, Jimmy Sue, Carol and the two girls stayed in the
house. Mavis Lyle wanted to stay in the barn with her dad and big
brother, and Jannie wanted to stay with Bubba. She fell in love with
him. Both Mothers put the kabosh on that idea. There are some things
men do by themselves and the ladies do by themselves.
The men retired
to the loft. Dan and Buck enlarged the loft of the new barn to cover
half of the barn area and even built a stairs up. They put in a
complete bathroom with a huge shower for the boys. It was about half
full of fresh hay. The boys worked several days stacking the hay and
made themselves a nest.
The men got
comfortable. Of course Oatie was the first one off with his clothes.
That kid could get out of his clothes in the blink of an eye. He had no
shame about his body around all these men. All three boys had seen
everyone of them naked many times and thought nothing of crawling up in
any one of their laps while nude. Buck was still undressing, winked at
Bubba to turn around, someone was standing behind him. He turned and
looked at Oatie and fell out laughing. He couldn't get his clothes off
he was laughing so much, and Oatie was right on top of him. He was
laughing, too. All men knew why Bubba was laughing.
"Oatie, your
brother warned me, but I swear to all that's holy I forgot. Son, I
didn't mean to laugh at you, but the love Waddie has for you, the way
he told me about you came flooding back into my mind and there you
were,...right in front of me, naked as a jay bird, as your brother put
it."
Oatie helped
Bubba off with his boots, and every one got comfortable. Buck passed
around his hip flash for a little night cap for the men. Oatie, Clyde
and Gip were as close to Bubba as they could get, and Bubba loved it.
The big man had a glow about him when the kids were around that had to
be pure love.
The men told a
few stories but no one asked Oatie to tell another. They would've never
gotten to sleep. Bubba asked them all if they'd mind joining hands in a
circle and asking Mr. Urial if he would carry their love to their
missing family member, heal his heart and bring him home safely.
They all joined hands, and any man who wanted to could say something as
they went around the circle. Every man and boy there said a prayer for
their missing buddy, brother, and son. When it came Dan's turn,
when he finished there wasn't a dry eye among them.
Bubba
finished,and thanked the Lord for bringing the people who loved Waddie
together to share this wonderful time. He asked Mr. Urial to take their
prayers to the Father and their love to Waddie. It was the perfect end
to a wonderful day. The men went to sleep with their hearts even more
convinced that their treasure was being kept and guarded by God's
chosen elite, and Bubba had no doubt, this was where Waddie belonged.
The next morning
all the men had to laugh. Here was this mountain of a man with three
young boys draped all over him like Christmas ornaments. Gip sound
asleep in one big arm, Oatie in the other with Clyde using Bubba's big
furry chest as a pillow. Bubba's simple act of taking responsibility
for a boy in need was providing him with rewards beyond his imagination.
He thought
nothing of what he did for his little buddy because that was the man he
was. Bubba could do no other. He never expected anything in return. His
greatest joy was being able to help a little man who held a wealth of
love inside him. His selflessness and small investment was being repaid
to him a thousand fold. Bubba found another home where he was welcome
anytime.