Donny was sitting on a lawn chair, next to Dan's truck in the far corner of the Wally Mart. The truck was fitted with a large camper top that easily slept three, but was rated for four. He had ended up spending the night on the floor of the camper. He hadn't gotten much sleep until after Dan and Joe had headed out to look for a spot to watch the gang. That had been about eleven in the morning rather than the planned six o'clock.
The delay that morning had been a result of having to deal with the Sonny's truck. The car problem had been solved by buying a used car from a private individual with cash, and never making it over to the DMV to register as the car's new owners. Sonny's truck had been parked in a rest area on a highway, leaving town. They figured that it would lead the police to look in the wrong direction.
It was now mid-afternoon, and he was waiting for Hank to arrive while Sonny was napping in the back of the camper. Donny had a small portable radio on, listening to news reports about the shooting at the hospital. Even after eighteen hours had passed, there was a lot of confusion about what had happened. All they knew for sure, was that there were three gang members dead in a hospital room, and that one person was missing. There was an APB out for Sonny.
Donny was about to open his second beer of the day when he saw a pickup truck pulling a trailer pull into the parking lot.
He said, "Well, there goes the neighborhood."
He reached into the cooler and dug out three more beers knowing Hank and his two sons, Calvin and Vincent, would want some. He set the beers out by the chairs and waited for them to pull in beside the truck. It didn't take them long to park and get out of the truck. After the ritual of stretching and complaining about sore butts, Calvin and Vincent came over to Donny and grabbed him. He would have fought them, but they were big boys and more than a little happy to mix it up when the occasion arose.
Donny shouted, "Hey, what the hell are you doing?"
"Just holding you here," Vincent said. Calvin just laughed.
Further complaints were cut off when the door of the trailer opened and Rose stepped out. She was wearing tight blue jeans and a shirt that was tied off under her breasts. She didn't normally wear her shirt that way. She smiled and said, "That's it. Hold him just like that for a minute."
"What are you doing here, Rose?" Donny asked starting to struggle a little.
He glanced over at Hank and saw the man was grinning from ear to ear.
Without answering, Rose strolled over and kissed him. After a good long minute had passed and his struggles had stopped, she broke off the kiss.
Then she asked, "Did you miss me?"
"Yes," Donny said.
He had to admit that she was a good kisser.
Rose said, "You can let him go. I don't think he's going to run off now."
"What are you doing here?" Donny asked once he was released.
"When I heard that you and your uncles might be getting into a bit of a mess, I figured you could use a little help in case someone got hurt," Rose said. She was the de facto nurse in the area, although she hadn't had any real training. She helped out old Doc Taylor in the office.
Donny said, "Well, Sonny is asleep in the camper. He could probably use having you check on him in a bit."
"We heard about what happened in the hospital. It made the national news," Rose said.
For some reason, it had turned into a real big story. They had seen the story when they had stopped for lunch at a truck stop on the way there. The television news shows were showing pictures of Sonny and the three dead gang members every fifteen minutes.
Hank came over and clapped Donny on the back. Grinning, he asked, "So how is my future son-in-law doing?"
"I don't know. Who is he?" Donny asked feigning confusion.
"Boys, I'd say that kiss was grounds for a shotgun wedding. What do you think?" Hank asked while winking at Rose.
"I know we packed that shotgun somewhere," Vincent said.
Rose gave a mock glare at Donny before she said, "I am getting a little impatient."
Knowing the perfect way to deflect the conversation, Donny pointed to the beers and said, "Have a seat and cool off with a beer."
"That's real hospitality," Hank said heading straight for a lawn chair.
Donny got out another chair for Rose and fixed her up with a beer. Once everyone was settled, the conversation got around to the reason they were there.
Donny said, "According to Rose, you heard about the three gang members who went to the hospital to visit Sonny."
"They are calling him a suspected participant in the shooting rather than a suspect in a triple homicide on the television. Some reporter did his job and dug up the fact that it was two of the members of that gang that put Sonny in the hospital," Hank said.
"That's good," Donny interjected before Hank had a chance to start talking too much.
"There was some speculation that the original shooting was about drugs until they played the video tape of the original robbery. Now it is just a lot of babble and wild assed guesses," Hank said. He looked around and asked, "Where's Joe and Dan?"
"They went out looking for a good spot to watch the gang. They are going to be out there until morning watching the gang," Donny said.
"Good. It is always best to know your quarry," Hank said. "We heard a bit about them. They are a nasty bunch."
"According to Sonny, they can't shoot," Donny said.
"We saw the video tape of the robbery. The two gang members were dancing around like chickens, holding their guns sideways, and shooting without looking at what they were shooting at. They were too busy ducking in case of return fire to hit the broad side of a barn," Hank said.
Calvin said, "Sonny just stood there and drew on them as calm and cool as can be. Shame that gun misfired."
"It didn't misfire. The idiot who owns the store had the firing pin pulled on it," Donny said.
"Why would a man do that to a gun?" Hank asked incredulous.
"Apparently he did that because it worked and he didn't like the idea of having a useful weapon around," Donny said in disgust.
Calvin said, "That has got to be the dumbest man on the planet."
"Dan and Joe are going to go have a long talk with him in the near future about his future," Donny said.
Although ruining a perfectly good gun was stupid, it wasn't worth hurting someone over. Hank asked, "Why do they need to talk to him?"
"We think he told the gang where Sonny was, and that we were going after them to haul them off to jail," Donny said.
"It sounds to me like Pepper doesn't have much of a future ahead of him. If some fool were to help a gang that was trying to kill one of my kids, then that fool would be begging for entrance to heaven with Saint Peter. I don't think Saint Peter is stupid enough that he'd let him in," Hank said.
"Dan isn't happy about the matter," Donny said. He thought about the things he wanted to do to Pepper, and realized he wasn't any more forgiving than Dan. He added, "To tell the truth, I'd like to see the jerk in serious pain."
Hank took a long drink from his can of beer. He belched and shook the empty can. Looking over at his sons, he said, "The beer is gone. It is time for you two to set up the trailer."
"We're still drinking our beers," Calvin said looking down at his can. It was still half full.
"Finish them and get to work," Hank said. He settled back in his chair and put a chaw of tobacco in his mouth. After working it around for a minute, he asked, "Did I ever tell you about when I got that twelve point buck back three years ago?"
"Yes," Donny said with a groan.
Rose stood up and headed over to the camper walking quickly. Calling over her shoulder, she said, "I'll check on Sonny."
"Let's set up the trailer," Calvin said getting a nod from his brother. Both brothers stood up taking their beers with them.
"Do you need some help with the trailer?" Donny asked sounding a little desperate.
"Nah, they can handle it," Hank said dismissively. He spat into the empty beer can.
"I'll be glad to help," Donny said lamely.
Getting into storytelling mode, Hank said, "It was opening day three years ago when I got this twelve point buck. That year, opening day was on a Thursday. I had gone out to my stand early that morning, it being opening day and all. It was still dark when I got out there, but the day looked like it was going to..."
Donny tuned Hank out and gave the appropriate sounds periodically suggesting that he was actually listening to the story. Hank's two sons were over by the trailer working real slow on setting it up. It looked like everything they had to do required ten minutes of discussion. Rose had disappeared into the camper.
An hour later, Hank was saying, "Now out in the middle of field was this scrawny little tree. Actually, it was more like a bush than a tree. Anyway, it forked about three inches off the ground. One fork had two leaves at the end and the other fork had three leaves. When the wind blew, those leaves would rattle around..."
Donny glanced down at his watch and realized that it was getting late. This would be a good time to start a fire to cook some steaks. He got up and dumped a bag of charcoal in the grill, a fifty-five gallon drum that had been cut length-wise. Speaking a little louder Hank just kept talking.
"This little spike buck came out of the woods through that break and headed straight for..."
Hank's two sons had finished setting up the trailer and stood around looking for something else to do. Donny watched them head off into the Wally Mart jealous that he couldn't join them. He went over and checked the fire. The fire was about ready for the potatoes.
Hank spat and then said, "While that spike buck was busy working over that little tree, this twelve-pointer stepped out of the tree line about a hundred yards from..."
Donny wrapped some potatoes in aluminum foil and tossed them into the coals. He figured that Hank had another thirty minutes to the story before he got to the point of actually telling about shooting the buck.
"That little buck looked up from his scrape and spotted that big buck. Now it is a scientific fact that small bucks don't know they are small bucks. You don't have to take my word for that. I was talking to this fellow from the..."
Donny went over to the camper and opened the door. He stuck his head in and said, "I started the potatoes. We've got some steaks in the cooler."
Rose asked, "Is Dad still telling his hunting story?"
Donny looked over his shoulder. Hank was still talking. Vincent and Calvin were sitting there looking miserable.
He nodded his head and answered, "He just got past the point where he met with the fellow from the university agricultural extension."
"He'll be done in thirty minutes or so," Rose said. "I'll bring out the steaks in fifteen minutes."
"Great," Donny said. He went back to his lawn chair and took a seat wishing that he was out with his uncles. He figured that sitting on top of a building watching a bunch of people do nothing had to be easier than listening to this story yet again.
A half an hour later, Donny had just finished putting the steaks on a plate when Hank said, "And that's how I got that twelve-pointer three years ago."
Donny said, "That's a great story."
"I see that dinner is ready," Hank said. He grabbed a plate and threw a steak and potato on it. After returning to his chair, he asked, "Did I ever tell you about the time that I found myself in a tree with a bobcat?"
"Yes," Donny said rolling his eyes.
Rose winked at him and said, "I'm sure Donny would love to hear it again."
"Flower... ," Donny said hoping that enough noise would postpone the storytelling for a bit.
"Don't go calling me Flower, Donald Albert Daniels," Rose said shaking a fork at him.
Hank laughed with glee at the exchange. It reminded him of when he had been dating his wife.
"Whatever you say, Flower," Donny said with a grin.
"I'm going to give Sonny a plate of food to eat," Rose said.
Thinking he saw a chance to get out of listening to one of his Dad's stories, Vincent said, "I ought to see how he's doing."
Calvin said, "Me, too."
Donny was left in the chair listening to Hank telling about the time he found himself in a tree with a bobcat. It was a while before the two boys came out of the camper. Donny went in and sat down on the floor of the camper. The little table of the camper was in use as a bed for Sonny and there just wasn't a place to sit down.
He said, "Your dad is in good form today."
"He drives me crazy with his stories sometimes," Rose said.
She loved her father, but there were times when his story telling wanted to make her scream.
"You and everyone else," Sonny said.
Shrugging his shoulders, Donny said, "There is an art form to telling stories, and Hank has it. I know that we've all heard his stories a dozen times each, and we're sick of hearing them, but he's good at it."
Rose asked, "How long does it take to tell a story about shooting a twelve-point buck?"
Donny said, "You know that I went hunting with him last year."
"Yeah. You wrote me that you got a nice eight-pointer," Sonny said.
He was homesick every time he missed opening day of deer hunting season. That was a special time of year and sitting in a classroom taking notes just wasn't the same as sitting in a deer stand.
"Hank sent me down this little trail and told me that when I reached an old ponderosa pine tree that had been hit by lightning that I should take a left and walk two hundred yards to reach a good tree stand. I did what he told me to do and by God I knew exactly where I was. It was the same place he described in his story about shooting the twelve-point buck. Every tree, rock, and bush that he described was exactly where he said it would be."
"Interesting," Rose said.
"His story isn't really about shooting a buck, he's describing a place so that if you ever find yourself there then you already know it. He's also telling how to do things so that they work out right. He could have shot that spike buck, but he didn't. He waited to see what else came by and was able to take advantage of the fact that the twelve-pointer showed up. It was a lesson in taking your time when you aren't pushed to rush," Donny said.
"I didn't think about it that way," Sonny said.
"There's a lot more to his stories than his one sentence summary would suggest," Donny said, "I'll be the first to admit that knowing that doesn't make it any easier to listen to that story for the tenth time."
"Try thousandth," Rose said.
There were times when she thought she would scream if she had to listen to one of his stories, just one more time.
Sonny smiled and said, "And you wonder why Donny is afraid of marrying you."
"If I wanted to be married, all I would have to do is tell daddy that I'm pregnant and we'd be marching down the aisle with a shotgun stuck in the middle of Donny's back," Rose said.
"You aren't; are you?" Donny asked with a worried expression on his face.
Without answering his question, Rose smiled at him. She leaned over to Sonny and said, "He had better not keep me waiting too long. Accidents do happen."
Seeing a good chance to tease his brother a little, Sonny said, "Did I ever tell you about the time when he came back from visiting you and he was so excited that he..."
Donny put a hand over his little brother's mouth and asked, "Sonny, have you heard about the time that Hank was up in a tree with a bobcat?"
Donny used both hands to shake Sonny's head to signify a no. He said, "That's a shame. You really need to hear that story. I think I'll ask Hank to come in and keep you company."
When Donny released his hand from over Sonny's mouth, Sonny said, "I can't believe my own brother would take advantage of the fact that I am weak from my wounds to torture me like that."
Rose laughed and said, "You two are just as bad as Joe and Dan."
There was a knock on the door of the camper.
Donny said, "Lie down and cover yourself while I see who it is."
"It's me!"
"Come on in, Hank," Donny called out.
Hank opened the door and climbed into the camper. He said, "I just came by to see how Sonny was doing."
"He's doing fine. I'd say he's a little lonely," Donny said winking at Sonny.
"Well, I'll just sit a spell and talk with him a bit," Hank said.
Donny said, "I'll go outside and start packing up. We're going to have to move. We've been here three days and even Wally Mart gets a little bothered when you stay too long."
"Where are we moving to?" Hank asked.
"There's another Wally Mart about thirty minutes away," Donny said.
Nodding his head, Hank said, "I'm going to have to find a septic dump station soon."
"Same here," Donny said. "We figured another couple days at the next Wally Mart and then we'd head over to a campground for a day or two."
"Los Angeles has campgrounds?" Hank asked.
He hadn't thought of Los Angeles as anything except city.
"There's a national forest not too far from here," Donny said.
"I can't imagine that," Hank said shaking his head.
Donny said, "Dan thinks we're going to need to put a little distance between us, the police, and the gang. I doubt anyone will figure that we're operating from so far out."
"Smart," Hank said. He rubbed his chin and said, "Have your uncles come up with a plan, yet?"
"Not really. First we are trying to get the police to take care of the matter and if that doesn't work then we'd try to take them to jail. When it starts getting exciting around here, we'll probably want to sleep a good distance away," Donny said.