cpc_15

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 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 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 was 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 shed a few tears. 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 said, 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," Waddie assured them.

They waved goodbye as the boys drove down the gravel road. Waddie had tears running down his face, as Earl D. held him tight. They passed 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's 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. "It's simple," Waddie said.

"Okay, little brother, why?" they asked.

"It's downhill." They 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 back to the boarding house. The seven 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 laughed 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," Waddie replied.

"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 said, 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 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," she explained. It seemed simple enough to Waddie. "You'd be surprised. You'd think kids who were bright enough to get into 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 didn't worry 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 time he need to leave.

She explained the buses normally stopped 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 classes 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 they needed quiet to study 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 was 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, but he'll 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, but Waddie was sure the son wanted it to.)

Waddie bought some envelopes, stamps, and a small 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. She 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 set on the counter in front of him. When he finished, she covered them with water, and set them on the stove to cook.

She asked 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 relayed her message to 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," Mrs. York 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," one of the bigger animals said.

'And well they should,' Waddie thought to himself. He hadn't eaten a bad meal since he arrived. 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 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 was 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, Son?" Buck asked with excitement.

"It's me, Dad," Waddie replied.

"Thanks for calling, buckaroo, I been thinking about chu’ all day and hoped you might call this evening. How you doing, cowboy?" Buck asked.

"A lot better, Uncle Buck. Damn, I miss you so much," Waddie said.

"I miss you, too, Waddie, more'n you can know. I told Dan last night, life don't seem to have the same happiness or meaning without our boy. He agreed. He misses you as much as I do, so does your brothers. What chu' been up to, honcho?" Buck asked.

"I had a great weekend, Dad. I went home with Crenshaw boys and met their family. They got six younger brothers and a wonderful mom and dad," Waddie tossed off like it was nothing.

"Not the Texas Longhorn Crenshaw brothers?" Buck asked.

"Uh... it 'ud be them, Uncle Buck -- Earl D. and Billy Bob Crenshaw," Waddie said.

"My God in heaven, you're with the Crenshaw boys? Holy shit! Wait'll the guys hear about this. Wait a minute, Mr. Uriel done told us we 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?" Buck asked.

"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 allowed and laughed, "I just sort of collect 'em. Dad Crenshaw and Bubba's dad, Dad Franz are two of the finest men I 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 a couple of times. 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, but I jes' over did. 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," Earl D. introduced himself.

"Well, I'll be. Good to talk with you, Son. I's just telling our boy we're 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 it," Buck said.

"Ah, he ain't no bother. Me and ma' brother, we done fell in love with him. 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," Earl D. said and laughed.

"That's wonderful, Earl D. I hope I get to shake your dad's hand one day soon; you and your brother's, too," Buck said.

"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 yore’ 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?" Buck asked.

"Waddie? What's the man's name who was in France with your Uncle Buck? I know'd the man for years, but his name just slipped my mind. Okay, yeah, 'at right, Johnnie Mack Tamplin, Sheriff," Earl D. related.

"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 shore’ appreciate it," Buck asked.

"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," Buck said. They shared a laugh.

"Good. It's great to talk with you, Sheriff, here's Waddie again," Earl D. said and handed Waddie the phone.

"Damn, Son. You be keep'n some fine company with them boys. They're the best. Look, cowboy, 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. Uriel 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, Waddie."

"Give that big Grizzly bear a hug and a big kiss for me, Uncle Buck. You're gonna' like Bubba, I promise. He gimme’ some money to buy a few clothes, and the boys took me to their favorite Western store. Damned if'n the owner weren't the man what made Gip and my rodeo chaps Uncle Enid give 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 out a pair for Bubba. I didn't ask her to, Uncle Buck. She just instructed the man to do it. I talked with her a while, and she might stop over and visit this week. She said she'd call you."

"Waddie, that's almost unbelievable. Mr. Uriel knew the place and time to get you what you needed. I'm really gonna' have to thank Enid and Mr. Uriel. 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," Waddie said.

"Good, Son. That's the right thing to do. God, I love you Waddie, and I miss you. By the way, yore’ 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 put the word out, any information what 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 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," she said.

"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."

"Aww, Aunt Linda you know you've always been like a mom to me. I love you, too. I'll be home sooner than you think. Mr. Uriel 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 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?" Waddie asked.

"Oh, God, Son, Waddie..." Waddie could hear the big man crying softly on the phone. "I'm sorry, Son, I 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, cowboy, I miss you so much. It damn near ripped my heart out when I heard you run away, 'cause your dad hurt you. I went over there and told him the truth, Son, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. I didn't care no more. He needed to hear it."

"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 got my own room and seven enormous brothers. Never felt safer in my life, Coach."

"Do you need anything?" Ed asked.

"Only you, Coach, I miss you a lot."

"Don't say that, cowboy, you know what that does to me. Do you want me to come to you, Son? Do you need me?" he asked.

"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 enough. 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, cowboy. 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 laughed together.

"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 ain't laughed like that since you been gone, cowboy. 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 to his room to read while the guys studied some more. It began to get late, and most of the upstairs men already 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?" Billy Bob asked.

"Naw, I think I can do it, but thanks for asking." Waddie took his boots off, shucked his jeans and shirt, 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.

"Naw, 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 already 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," Billy Bob said.

"I 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 study time," Earl D. said, "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 me 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 slept alone. We could leave the doors open. We're right across the hall," Earl D. inquired.

"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," Billy Bob said.

"Love you, too."

Earl D. and Billy Bob left and went to their room. Waddie lay 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 in his bed 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. Uriel was right, Gip was getting stronger, sometimes stronger than Waddie was, but that was good. It made Waddie feel good knowing he could lean on his little brother if he needed. Then he thought of one more 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.

Dan Justin 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," Waddie said softly.

He understood at that moment he wasn't betraying his love for Buck or Gip by loving Dan. Waddie loved his dad, Buck, not just because he was his flesh and blood but because he bonded so tightly with Buck the year they were so close. Buck was more than just Waddie's dad, Buck was his all; his past, his present, and his future. 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. Uriel 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 would 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 the 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 and Mr. Uriel, he didn't want to feel this way. He was damn near eleven years old, for cries sake! 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," Billy Bob asked. Waddie's knees buckled, he set down hard on the floor, and it hurt his butt. He lost it at their compassion and understanding. That's why Mr. Uriel 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. We's worried about that. 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'moan, let's go to bed," Billy Bob said, picked Waddie up an laid him on the bed toward the middle. The brothers 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 lying 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 whom you 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, but you realize that's a door what 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 of which we had no concept... 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 got us 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 never got angry with me for clinging to him. He never made fun of me for needing him so much. He 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 brought a balance to our lives," Earl D. said. 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, compassion, 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'moan, 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 wanna’ 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 didn't teach him any of those 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 after lunch and was going to help her with supper. 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, stopped in a drug store, and drank a soda. He walked back to the boarding house. Everyone was back from classes, but 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 supper 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 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 it was funny and put Waddie on the phone. "Hey, Dad, how is everyone?" Waddie asked.

"We're just fine, Son. How are you?" Dad Crenshaw asked in reply.

"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 when he finished a brief conversation with his dad, he hung up. He looked at his brother who had a strange smile on his face. "We only been gone two days and he calls wanting to know if we're coming for the weekend? When was the last time he called us, D.?" Billy Bob asked his brother laughing.

"To be honest, I can't remember," Earl D. replied. They 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,' Bubba thought 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 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 thirty 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 handsome. 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’n this man ain't Bubba, I'm in deep shit," Buck said. The deputies broke up laughing.

Bubba roared and stuck out his hand. "Sheriff Claymore, Buck, I've heard a hell of a lot about you and yore’ 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," Bubba introduced himself.

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," Lyle said.

"Thanks, sir," Bubba replied.

"And this fine looking gentleman is Deputy Don Rayborn," Buck said.

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're 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 said and laughed putting his arm around Bubba's shoulder. 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," Buck said.

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," she said. 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 man I done it for," Bubba said modestly. 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'moan into my office, Bubba," Buck invited.

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?" Buck offered.

"Just a taste, Buck. Thanks," Bubba replied, 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," Buck bellowed with laughter. 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, I ain't never fell in love with nobody faster'n I did with Waddie. The kid ripped my heart out, and he ain’t got 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," Bubba lamented.

"You're close to 'em boys?" Buck asked.

"Lived on the ranch next door to theirs. Grew up with 'em. Coached 'em all through high school. Made damn sure they got scholarships to the school they wanted. They done all right for themselves so far," Bubba said with pride.

"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 supper. 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 laughed with him. Damn, he was like a grown up Waddie. He couldn't help feel close and love the man. Bubba felt like he already knew the big cowboy sheriff.

"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," Bubba said.

"We know, Bubba, and we feel the same. We wanted to step in and do something before now, but he wouldn't let us. According to Mr. Uriel he had to go through these things. You're the only person other than Ed Bloomquist, Waddie's coach..." Buck 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 had to meet you and thank you for your kindness to his little buddy. Anyway, Ed and you are the only people Waddie 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 swore 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 questioned them, but if we pushed too hard, all we got was tears. We had no idea how bad it really was until doc developed your film in his darkroom when we saw them 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," Buck said like he was remembering the pictures.

"Will the photos help get him away from his dad?" Bubba asked.

"Oh, Bubba, it's already a done deal, thanks to you. I served notice to my brother yesterday. He's not doing too well 'cause no one in town will tell him a' thing. I got 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 don't have no clue who you are or what we're doing here. He talks to me ever’day 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 until I went off to the war. We lived together in either home all through school. We were bonded brothers. I loved him more'n anybody in my life, and I still do, Bubba. No matter what he done, I can't stop loving my brother. I can try'n help him find the way, but I can't stop loving him," Buck said with remorse.

"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."

"C'moan, Bubba we can talk over lunch. C.D. Rawlings -- 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."

"Aww, 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 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," she said. Bubba looked puzzled.

Buck interrupted. "You and Jannie got a ride out there, Mrs. Anderson?" he asked.

"Yes, thanks, Sheriff. C.D. and his wife are picking us up," she replied.

"Okay, then, we'll see you there. Keep them boys busy for the rest of the afternoon," Buck joked with Carol.

"I guess I'll be seeing you this evening, then, Ma'am. I'll be looking forward to it," Bubba said, 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 men gathered at the diner and 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," Bubba said. The men 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 one moment to the next what that kid's gonna' do or say. That's what makes him a treasure. I couldn't have 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 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 lost a lot of money to him and Oatie," Buck declared and laughed.

"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 said and 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 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," Bubba declared. The men 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 butts 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 we 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 several years ago, but 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 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. After the first toss of a rope, he fell head over boot heels in love with Waddie," 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 with 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 adopted ma and pa. I was her Bubba. She was so shattered and confused, ‘cause 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. At their invitation, I moved in on Gus and Dora several 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 ran away from home for the same reason Waddie did, 'cept'n my old man used an eighteen foot black snake bullwhip on my ass. He'd rather beat my butt than sleep with my ma. I shouldn't talk bad about my dad, I'm sorry," Bubba said.

"Hey, Bubba, we 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," Buck said and was 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 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 said. 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 already 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," he warned. 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 deep into Bubba's eyes, and Bubba could see the tears forming. Gip threw his arms around the big man's neck 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 ‘zat, Son?" Bubba asked.

"He said I'd love you, and I do," Gip replied.

"Well, I know how much he loves you. I can't help love you from all the good things he done 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," Gip introduced the men like a gentleman.

Bubba stuck out his hand and Dan just looked at it. "Fuck the handshake, Bubba, gimme' a hug and a kiss," Dan demanded.

Bubba laughed then shook his head. "You got it, Mr. Justin," he agreed, hugged, and kissed Dan back.

"It's Dan, Bubba. Anyone's good to my boy as you was don't call me by my last name," Dan said.

"Thank you, sir, it's an honor. Thank you for having me out today. You have a beautiful place. You put a lot of work into it, and it shows."

"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's got five hundred bucks 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 for 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," Bubba said.

"Yeah, she used to drive a truck with an old lady called Mother Trucker. She went by the name Moon shine," Dan said.

"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," Bubba said.

"It took the love of my boy, 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 with Dan Justin the more he fell in love with the man. He already 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,' Bubba thought about Dan. 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 Bubba recalled 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 cock.

It was a wonderful, relaxed day for everyone. 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 fluently. 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 very much. They were hooked.

Any adult who set 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 with an adult. He was having too much fun. A couple of the ladies set down to talk with 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 whispered secrets to him. He promised not to tell, then laughed with them. Pretty soon every woman at the ranch was sitting around a picnic table talking with Bubba. The guys were amused the big man had such natural charm, love, and grace about him they 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, indeed, killed the fatted calf, except it wasn't a calf, it was a complete cow they butchered earlier 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 the most prime steaks and made sure there was enough for everyone. There was a number of folks there. The usual complement 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 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 the time Morgan rid himself of those awful people, 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 they wanted him, he'd be over to the Lovejoy ranch. They were devoted to Waddie, Gip, and his brothers. The boys love them as well. They'd have all four boys over many times to stay the weekend and sleep in their barn. They were never so happy as when the cowboys 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 anything 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, but 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 the 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," Mavis Lyle said. "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 which would hurt us. Our folks finally settled down and began to see the humor of it all. 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 supper 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 until everyone was served. They joined hands and said thanks and sat down to a wonderful meal. 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. They finished dinner and were sitting out under the stars beneath the Texas sky. Bubba looked up and found Beetle Juice and called it to Buck's attention.

"E'aup. He was just looking at it, Buck. He'll call in the next five minutes," Bubba mused quietly. 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."

Everyone had to talk with 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 arrived by that time and talked with 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 already bought his ticket and would 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 gone to visit her for the last five summers. You and Gip. I'll talk him into it. Surprise, right?" Buck asked.

"Thanks, Uncle Buck. You're special," Waddie said. 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 fell 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," Gip said. The boys shared a laugh. They said their goodbyes and hung up. No one could talk about anything else but Waddie and his adventures. Bubba was so proud of him... so were 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," Bubba said, "your brother tells me there ain't another body on the planet what tells a story the way you do. Is that true?" he asked.

"Not at all, Bubba. My brother just loves me a lot and is exaggerating," he said. 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," Bubba replied.

It didn't take too much prompting from the crowd to prime Oatie's pump. When Oatie's main man, Clyde, asked him, he decided he would. Oatie told an elaborate story none of the other adults heard before. They 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 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 from the attic to beneath the house where they could run stiff wire. They learned they could run one from the attic to under the house.

They engineered a rather complex mechanical operation. They found two old roller skates someone threw away, cleaned them up, oiled them, and they worked fine. They were the old flat metal kind you strapped on 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 time passed, 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. 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 before. 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. It was necessary for them 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 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 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 another chain to the one under the floorboards. When it was pulled across the room it made a terrible sound, 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 someone threw away, but their crying box worked. One had an ominous laughing box. They took them out of the dolls and glued them onto 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 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 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 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' 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 poor Willie wasn't so sure. The deputies were laughing their asses 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 too 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 at Bubba calling him 'sheriff.'

"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 Wranglers.

"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. Wherever 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?" Buck asked.

"I was a' hoping you might," Bubba grinned.

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 got three other kids who ain't gonna' let us get away with 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. "Them 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," Buck said.

"Oh, hell, Buck, no problem with me. Them men went out of their way to make me feel welcome. I fully expect you to," Bubba replied.

They didn't have to ask them twice. In fact Don, Quinton, Lyle, and Doc threw 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 these men. The three boys had seen every man 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. The men knew why Bubba was laughing.

"Oatie, your brother warned me, but I swear by 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 everyone 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 never get to sleep. Bubba asked if they minded joining hands in a circle and asking Mr. Uriel if he would carry their love to their missing family member, heal his heart, and bring him home safely. They joined hands, and any man who wanted 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. Uriel 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 the men laughed to see a 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 washboard abdomen 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.

End Of Chapter 15 ~ Cabbage Patch Cowboy
Copyright © 2004/2013 ~ Waddie Greywolf
All rights reserved ~
Mail to: waddiebear@yahoo.com
Proofed: 12/30/2012
WC 15682